The Forbidden Line
by ravenmasteroftele
Summary: A great war has arose between angels and demons in a distant, fantasy realm. The Forbidden Line of communication has always kept the two breeds apart, severing whatever hope they had of forming a truce. BBRae, RobStar.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please!**

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**Chapter 1: Prologue.**

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The sky was the color of clotted blood. Raven Roth always hated the skies on Nemaru, it always reminded her of herself. "Roth, your father wants you."

Another demon squinted his bloodshot eyes at her. She shook her head in disgust. "What does he want?"

"I ain't your messenger, girlie." The demon used his overly long tongue to lick his eyeball. He hissed, "I'm not coming back without ya'. Your pa would most likely murder me, he would."

She rolled her eyes. Male demons were such twits, and the females were not much better. "Fine, you slime ball."

She folded her ash-colored wings against her frail body, and her beautiful purple eyes glowered. "Get in there."

"Shut up," she barked. She was probably the only purple-eyed, purple-haired demon in all of Nemaru. All the other females had glowing red eyes and long, shimmering black hair. The males were disgusting creature; they had wings like bats, bulging eyeballs and slimy, blue-grey skin. It made Raven sick just looking at the males. "Or, I may just slaughter you myself."

The demon-hold was called Nigaru. It was placed in the southern half of the continent, so the demon's could prepare their weapons. That was the way it was now. "Little miss, I am your father's main assistant. He would not be pleased."

"Trigon would not grieve your death," she muttered. Seeing her father was becoming a little nerve-racking, even for her. Ever since the war had began, he had become even more enraged. "You know that he only cares for his own wellbeing."

"That may be so," he smiled. His teeth were covered with fungus that had changed his teeth to colors of yellow and green. "But, he wouldn't be a proper demon if he didn't."

Her soft black heels clicked rhythmically against the ground as she walked, she could hear her father's assistant, Barbilos, laboring beside her. There was screams of pain echoing out of her Trigon's room, and she gulped nervously. Barbilos stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you coming or what?"

"I would rather not," he yelped. Without a second glance, he ran down the hallway. "Good luck, Roth."

A eternity ago a war began between angels and demons. Nobody was exactly sure how or why the war started, but it took the realm with full-force. Everything was destroyed; the creatures that had once existed were all gone. All that were left were the angels and demons. There war still raged on, stronger than ever. "Thanks a hell of a lot."

"Come in daughter." Trigon had obviously sensed her presence. She stepped into the room and cringed at the smell of rotting flesh. On the floor lay the bodies of poor angels, unlucky enough to have been caught by the raft of Trigon. Her feet quickly stepped over the mutilated, tortured bodies and heaps of white feathers.

"What is it father," she asked. Even though she had always tried to be fearless, her father still frightened her. The angel bodies made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. Raven Roth was gifted with something that other demons did not have; she had a heart.

"My reign is coming to a end," he grumbled. His skin was covered with a frosty layer of perspiration and saliva from his long tongue. He licked his face continuously with her overly-long tongue. "It is time for you to take a mate, so when I die, you will be ready to take over the demons control."

It was necessary for a demon to have a mate before they took control over the empire. That way, the demon leader could produce heirs to the thrown. "Father, male demons are disgusting scum."

Trigon's hideous face contorted. "What do you mean by that, child."

"All males except you," she growled. His face didn't relax. Trigon was not stupid, he knew when he had been insulted.

"I have sired you for one reason alone." His face was still contorted in rage. It was before noon, and she had already managed to aggravate him. "You will find a mate and soon!"

She scowled, "Yes, father."

"You're dismissed." She left the room with her head held high. This was a average day in her world. There was no use showing any useless feelings. Her emotions would not be released upon the world.

"So, you're not dead." Barbilos was waiting for her outside of her fathers room. His voice seemed to hold a hint of disappointment. "I am surprised."

"Get out of my sight," she muttered. In one swift movement she had her arm wrapped around his soggy neck. "Or, I'll eat you right here and now."

'_I refuse to mate with theses idiotic creatures,_' she thought. _'I may be a demon myself, but I am nothing like these vermin._' The only male demon she knew besides her father was Barbilos, and she would never take him as a mate. "You can't do that, I have five offspring and one in the makin'."

They were to dumb to even talk in whole sentences. She left Barbilos behind her, and stared at the walls surrounding the demon fortress. It was forbidden for a female to leave the demon's domain. They were apparently to feeble to allow to roam free with all the angels ready to kill. "This place is a living hell."

There was many times that she wished that she could sneak out of the Demons fortress. Everything here was so constricting. She turned her head at the sound of a squealing female demon. She screeched, "my mate, my mate."

"It was funny how the demon's were meant to sound so incredibly evil," she mused. They were carrying the bodies of the lost demons into the village. It was like staring into a sea of blood. "They kill more than we ever had."

* * *

Garfield Logan a dreamy, messy angel lay in bed. His soft snores pierced the afternoon air ever-so-softly. In his dreams he lay in a soft misty meadow, staring at all the female angels at his side. Suddenly, one of the females screeched "Yo."

The voice was to low to ever belong to any female. He twisted his face to look at her. "S'up."

"Yo," she cried again. There was definitely something wrong with this picture. All the female angels screamed, "Wake up, ya' annoying, little grass stain."

He woke with a start and was now staring at Victor Stone's face. He jumped away, startled by the sudden intrusion. "What?"

"We're going to be late, man." He threw the soft angel robe at Gar. That was the uniform they were forced to wear, but most of their jobs were fairly easy. If you saw a demon, you slaughtered it. He had found it amazingly difficult, until he saw how heartless the demons were. The horrible creatures tore everything apart without a second thought.

"He yawned, "late for what?"

"The party," he chuckled. The angels never realized that they were amazingly similar to the demons. They murdered each other, and they would kill anything that got in the way of killing each other. "I knew you would forget."

The angel squad had killed over one thousand demons in the past year. That was definitely a cause to celebrate in there success. There team had slaughtered more demons, then all the other squads combined. Kori, Richard, Victor, and he made a fantastic team. "Dude, I've got to get ready."

"You might want to hurry," he smirked. Gar tumbled out of his bed in a frenzied hurry, and ran the brush through his green hair. His strange coloring made him different then all the other angels, but many said that his coloration was a gift, so he accepted it. "Rich is looking awfully pissed."

He cried, "Are Kori and Richard ready?"

"Yep." This made Gar panic only more. His thought wandered to the pair fretfully. They had been married for over five years, and they were still amazingly happy. He definitely wanted to be like that someday. There was never a problem with premarital mating between angels, because they would be thrown exiled if they caught mating before marriage. The angels were the strictest of sorts.

"Crap," he yelped. "I really got to go! Ferryman is going to be mad at our squad, if we're late."

"Don't worry about Ferryman," Victor frowned. Ferryman was the head of all the different squads sent out to kill demons. _'There must be something wrong,'_ Gar concluded. _'Vic usually would never pass up a teasing opportunity like this.'_

Gar joked, "did Ferryman kick the bucket."

"Yes," Vic whispered. Gar had only been kidding, but he could see that his little joke hit the truth straight on. He felt incredibly sad, even though he wasn't very fond of Ferryman. The man was the meanest person you had ever met. "He got executed because he broke a rule."

"Ferryman break a rule," he gasped. "That seems a bit out of character."

"He didn't just break any rule." Vic tilted his head. "He broke **The Forbidden Line **rule."

**The Forbidden Line** rule prohibited anything social between the angels and demons. If you said more than a couple of sentences to a demon, then your head was instantly cut off. "I can't seem him talking to a demon, he hates them."

Most never said anything to a demon before removing the creatures heads. He himself never questioned his behavior towards the horrible creatures. They were nothing but trouble, and they killed sententiously. There never was any time for any speaking. He couldn't imagine them having much to say, anyway. "We better go."

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	2. Chapter 2: The Lavender Key

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please.**

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**Chapter 2: The Lavender Key.**

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The rooms in the demon hold were always freezing, Raven noticed. She was curled up in bed, holding a novel and drinking a cup of steaming hot tea. The knocking on her door was soft and sullen, this definitely wasn't the work of Barbilos. That was odd, Barbilos was always the one to fetch her. She asked grumpily, "What?" 

A lesser female opened the door, her hair swinging at her waist. The demon seemed to behold perfect feminine beauty, if it had not been for the nervous darting of her crimson eyes. The demon began to stammer and shake nervously. "Trigon wishes for your presence."

"What happened to Barbilos," she snapped. She walked towards the other demon, and the nervous newcomer began to back away from her. Apart of her like Barbilos, he had never been afraid of her like the other demons.

"He was punished by out lord." Raven rolled her eyes at the girls edginess. Most of the other demons behaved this way around the Trigon and she. They were, after all, dominant. "He removed Barbilos's left wing for speaking without his permission."

"Fine." The female looked relieved as she turned to exit her room. "**Do not,** under any circumstances, come into my room withoutmy consent again."

"Yes." The girl rushed out of the room with the speed of a roadrunner. That was why Raven spent most of the time in her room, she was to different. She had realized a long time ago that this was not where she was meant to be.

This time, she wasn't nervous about her visit with her father. They had some information that some angels were going to attack another demon hideaway a few miles away. It would be a easy win for them, since they knew their enemies plans. The death toll of the angels would be very high, and that Trigon would be happier than a mother with a newborn. "Father, I am here."

"Come." That was her fathers happy tone. She softly pushed open the door and stepped inside. He tilted her head as she walked into the room, and her mouth gave a twitch. '_What does he want,_' she wondered. "I have something that I wanted to discuss with you."

It was strange to be called to her father's chambers twice in one day. He never had much attention to spare to his young daughter. "Alright."

"I have proposition for you," he stated. His eyes gleamed with a unnatural evil. "I think that throwing out you out into battle will cleanse you of your wandering thoughts. Maybe then you will understand are need to exterminate the angels, instead of having your ass mope around all day."

She opened her mouth to protest, "I object to……"

"Don't interrupt me!" His voice boomed across the room. "I'm sure that after you see what the angels do to out race, you will take your position as demon leader graciously."

"Yes." Her stomach was filling with a brief moment of excitement, before she shut the emotions away. If her father saw even the smallest ounce of happiness in her eyes, his decision would change in a instant. He couldn't stand making anyone happy, but himself. "I understand."

"You leave tomorrow at dawn." She slowly turned to leave the room, but her father stopped her. He growled, "Raven."

"Yes, father."

"Don't embarrass me." There was no way in hell, she would embarrass him. She had kept her powers in control since she was born, hoping this moment would come.

She bowed before, she left the room. Bowing to the head demon was a requirement, even for his offspring. His toothy smirk chased her out of his ice cold room. "Of course."

She shut the door, then leaned against it. A smile began to form on her pale lips. She hadn't smiled for two years, and she was surprised how good it felt.

* * *

He shrugged his soft robe onto his body and tied it. Gar felt his own stomach jittering with a tense nervousness that he always experienced before a battle. "Are we almost ready?" 

They had each been assigned a group of angels fresh into the battlefield. The fresh angels didn't have any experience. The fresh angel's instructor would grade their performance in battle, and assign rankings. Richard, Kori and Victor had taken there fresh angels and their trainers into another part of the valley, preparing to ambush the unsuspecting demons. "Yes, sir."

The fresh angels all looked pale with anxiety. He smiled as he remembered his first day in battle, he had been as nervous as hell. "Take positions."

They did exactly as they were told, each aligning themselves perfectly. They were taking the demons by the surprise, there wasn't a doubt in his mind. "Don't worry, angels. There isn't going to be any problems in this battle."

A fresh angel called, "sir."

The fresh angels were never assigned to any big battles. They were always careful with the inexperienced angels. He kneeled down on the ground to get a better view of the demon fort, and felt a strange feeling of unease. '_Nah,'_ he thought to himself. '_This is going to be a piece of cake._' Still caught up in thought, he mumbled. "What?"

"The demons are coming straight towards us, sir." He leapt up from his position. The creatures were marching towards them, and they were lead by a warrior with feathered wings. Demons did not have feathered wings, did they? They had all had leather-like wings before. "What do we do?"

He cried out the only thing he could think of. "Shit."

They were drawing closer with their eyes glowing dangerously. Demons and angels did not use guns. Both breeds used powers gifted to them at birth, they were all the same type, but some were more gifted at their skills than others. "Sir, please!"

"Looks like we attack straight on." The fresh angels stared at each other nervously. The demon herd outnumbered them greatly. This wasn't something that was covered in any of there training. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Here we go."

They both went running towards the groups with there arms blazing with holy magic. Gar shook his head in dread, he had not told them to attack yet. Before the pair even reached the mass of the army, the feathered demon leader struck them down with a swift gale of black energy. He had never seen a demon use black energy before. "We are so screwed."

It took the slaughtering of the two angels to catch the attention of the other squads of angels in the woods. A wild mass of fresh angels came plummeting out, attacking there opponents. Not a single one of the angels made it to the army of demons, they were all struck down by the young Raven first. "I've never seen anything like that."

"I better get out there," he growled. He knew that he was going to lose. Even if he managed to defeat the leader, the other demons would destroy him afterward. Richard, Kori and Victor were nowhere to be seen, so he charged out on his own.

Just looking at the demon made him nearly wet himself. He glanced into the helmet and was surprised to see purple eyes, not red eyes. A horn blasted through the night air, making all the creatures turn to flee. That sound always called the demons back to the fortress. The evil animal still remained completely silent before him. "…………."

The creature was distracted, it was his chance to strike. He raised his hand and blasted the creature with all that he had. It didn't harm the creature, but the blow was strong enough to send its helmet to the floor. He gasped in utmost shock. The leader was a purple haired female. They had never fought a female demon before. "What the?"

The creature hissed in anger, then everything went black.

_The next day……_

A slight shimmer of light danced on his eyelids, and Garfield let out a small groan. '_What happened,' _he wondered. '_The demon! Why am I still alive? That demon should have killed me! Oh God, maybe I'm already dead, and I just don't feel it!'_"Friend Garfield, you have awakened."

The naïve redheaded angel pounced on his body and gave him a bone crushing hug. His eyes widened in pain. He wheezed, "Kori."

His skin turned from green to blue in a matter of seconds. Noticing his sudden change of pigment, she immediately jumped away. "My apologies!"

"I'm alright," he responded. She had one of her big, sparkling smiles on her face. Kori Anders had come from another part of the realm, so she had a distinct accent and different bodily features. "What happened to everyone else?"

"Everyone else survived as well! Even the fresh angels haven't been harmed in the slightest, they just ceased movement in the battlefield!" She clapped her hands in happiness. This was a very odd battle indeed. "The evil creature only paralyzed everyone."

"What about Richard and Victor?" It was particularly odd that a demon did not try to kill them. Never before had the breed ever decided to spare a life. "Were they paralyzed?"

"No," she blushed. "They never went out into the battlefield. By the time we saw what was going on, out new angels were already charging the creatures of evil. The head angels did the commanding of us, and told us to hold back."

He wondered about the head of the hording demons. '_Why didn't she kill me? Maybe the females can't kill,_' he contemplated. _'Nah, that was one horrifying thing. She could have killed me if she wanted to.'_ "I wonder if the demons have a plan."

"It didn't seem to be a regular demon," she smiled. "Perhaps the evil creatures keep pets."

'_Kori was watching the battle,_' he thought. _'I wonder why she didn't see the she-demon._' "Nope," he stated. "I took her helmet off, it was a female."

Even if this could be devastating news to the angels, she still managed to keep a cheerful smile on her face. Her optimism transferred to him like a virus, and he could feel himself begin to smile as well. "If all the females are that powerful, then we must prepare!"

"I thought our eyewitness to the demon colony said that the females had black hair and red eyes." Maybe there was something special about their new discovery.

"Yes," Kori responded. "He even took the photographs of some of the girl demons."

"But, this one had purple eyes and hair." He put his head against his temple. All this thinking was giving him a headache. "But, It was definitely a female demon."

"Perhaps you were mistaken." Her emerald eyes appeared thoughtful. "It may be a male with long hair. Where I am from, it is quite natural for males to have extended locks."

"No," he blushed. "She had, well… Female body parts that are hard to miss."

"I see," she giggled."I shall ask Richard, if he knows any information. You shall rest here, correct."

"Nope," he tried to stand. "I want to see what is going on."

His knees gave way as he tried to climb out of his bed. "This sucks," he muttered. "Why can't I walk?"

"Her demon poison will not be out of your system for a until the moons shine bright." She helped him climb back into the bed. "Do not worry, I shall give you the news when I return."

She had been very worried about her friend, she was very happy that he was unharmed. Her shoes were soundless as she skipped to Richard. He smiled, "how's Garfield doing?"

"Very well! I am quite pleased with his recovery." With a friendly giggled, she hugged him. "He told me that the leader of the attacking herd was a purple haired, amethyst eyed female. It is a particular coloring for a demon, is it not?"

Richard's face visibly relaxed when he heard the news. This meant that not all the she-demons were this powerful, only the one leading the army. They managed to get some information from one of the dying creatures. The leader of the evil breeds commander, Trigon, had a daughter described as Kori said. "That's good news."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Might you explain it to me, please."

"The she-demons name is Raven. Not only is she Trigon's daughter, but she has also trained in battle for many years." His eyes shone with blissful excitement. "She will be one of our strongest enemies. It's strange that she didn't try to kill us, though."

'_She could be the link to finding peace with our brethren, if only we did not have that rule_.' "Maybe she is friendly!"

Richard began to chuckle at his mate nativity. It was impossible for a demon to be friends, they didn't hold the brain capacity for it. "I wouldn't put my money on it."

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	3. Chapter 3: Sneaking Suspicion

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please!**

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**Chapter 3: Sneaking Suspicion**

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"I think we should send Garfield into the demon fortress," Richard stated. The attack from Raven had really startled all the angels. Nobody knew what the demons were doing or why, and it was leaving the holy folk community in a uproar. "He's the only one who really know what we're looking for."

"But," Kori protested. "He has been injured. Perhaps it is best to choose another."

"Garfield asked to be chosen for this mission," he said. He was unsure about sending his friend into the demon fortress, even if it had been at Gar's request. If he lost his teammate, he would have to survive a guilt trip that would last a lifetime. "He seemed set about going."

"Yeah, but he's our pal." Victor shook his head in rejection. His life would be pretty dull, if he didn't have the string bean to make life interesting. "You know that they have to many guards surrounding the main building. There is no way he will be able to get in there, and put the seeing spheres all over the place. He'll be caught before he even makes it inside."

"I know," he whispered. Gar hadn't given him much of choice in the matter. The green tinted angel said that he would go, with or without his permission. 'If he gets out of the demon stronghold alive, I'm going to kill him.'

* * *

Pain overwhelmed Raven as they whipped her soft, pale back. The pain was immense, so she buried herself in her own little world. It was the only thing she could do to keep from crying out in agony. Barbilos cackled, "have you had enough, little missy?"

This was her punishment for not killing the angels. With every new strike of the whip, she could feel more blood trickle down her spine. Every strike seemed to last an eternity. She wasn't sure she would be able to make it to the end. "………………………"

"Not speaking to me, aye'" Barbilos counted the whips strikes as he went. The punishment for the young demon was fifty lashes, and he didn't want to overdue it. "Serves ya' right though, making your father angry like that. You're just lucky ya' ain't hanging from a stake.

Her body gave a nervous shudder, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She was on the verge of unconsciousness. This was her own fault, it was her own weakness that put her here. She let out a small moan of pain. As part of her punishment, the wounds were even going to have to heal the natural way. "………Ugh…….."

"There ya' are." He softly pulled the whip away from the girls back, and unchained her hands and wings. She fell to the floor in a worthless lump of flesh. "Come along now, it ain't so bad. You go get that back scrubbed, else you'll die from a infection."

She couldn't have healed herself, if she tried. To ensure that she did not heal her wounds, she had to wear a bracelet that discontinued the use of all magical energy. Nobody else could heal her either. The bracelet disarmed any power that was within a five foot radius. "Shit."

"Don't be mad at me, lass." Barbilos looked at Raven with pity, as she attempted to stand. She finally managed to struggle to her feet with difficulty. "It ain't my fault, your pa ordered me to."

She focused on the sounder of her rustling feet to keep herself conscious. Her legs finally stopped working halfway to the bathing water. Her body refused to move, and she softly placed her face against the warm dirt. She could hear somebody grunting as they climbed over the fortress wall. Everything was going dimmer as the seconds past. "Stupid bastard."

Gar grunted as he managed to swing his leg over the wall. Demons could sense the movement of wings, so flying across the wall was completely impossible. '_Now I just have to make sure that I don't get caught._' That was going to be hard, there were already at least thirty guards surrounding the main building. He flopped down off the building, and kept his feet quiet. Now all he had to do was keep his eyes on his surroundings. "This isn't going to be so tough."

His feet collided with a dense object, and he went sprawling a pit full of mud. He had tripped over a demon laying on the ground. '_Great going Gar, you haven't even been here a minute and you've already made a fool of yourself.' _He raised his hands to battle, but the creature wasn't making a attempt to fight back. _'Is it dead?'_ He softly poked the demon with his shoe. The creature whimpered, "Who?"

He recognized the creature, it was Raven. She was obviously hurt pretty badly. He hesitated a moment. _'Should I talk to her. It is against the rules,'_ he thought._ 'Nobody will ever find out, anyway_.' "Who did this to you?"

"Dad." He softly picked her up and pulled her to her feet. She didn't even seem to comprehend that he was a angel. Even if she was demon, she needed his help. Picking her up bridal style, he looked for a place to take Raven, so he could heal her. There was a couple unguarded buildings on the grounds, he could probably reach them easily. "Pain."

"I know," he said softly. He walked slowly to the closest unguarded building. Walking was more inconspicuous then running, even if it was slower. He held his breath as he opened the door. "Everything is going to be okay."

He softly pulled her into the building. It was a abandoned library. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs that made him sneeze, but at least it meant that they wouldn't be bothered. He softly placed her at the end of one of the isles. She asked again, "who?"

Her words were becoming more drawn out. If he didn't stop the bleeding soon, she would die. Holy power licked his fingers as he lowered it to her side. The moment he went near enough to heal her trembling body, his powers stopped working. Swearing softly, he tried again. "Shit! Why won't this work?"

"The bracelet," she murmured. His eyes were drawn to the metallic piece of jewelry attached to her arm. With a click flick of the arm, he attempted to break it. There was no damage to the bracelet, but he was pretty sure he smashed all the bones in his hands.

"Hold on," he cried. The look in her eyes made him want to save her. Her eyes were full of intelligence and thought. Those were the eyes of a creature who could think, feel and love. _'What if we have been wrong all these years,'_ he wondered. He peaked his head out of the library to see if there were any witnesses. There wasn't another demon in sight, so he took of running. There was no way he could climb the wall with Raven in his arms. He was just going to have to fly, and if he flew fast enough, he might avoid being seen.

"….Unh." Her eyes rolled into her head as she finally entered unconsciousness. He had to get over that wall, and he had to do it fast. Jerking his eyes shut, he spread his wings and soared over the surrounding fence. If they had been seen, then he wouldn't have known it.

There was the remains of a old village belonging to some of the extinct creatures. The houses still had some livable circumstances. He said to comfort himself. "Everything is going to be fine."

* * *

The early morning light fluttered through the window. She felt comfortable wrapped up in the warmth of a silken blanket. There were birds chirping cheerfully outside of the window. At the demon fortress, there were never any birds. "Where am I?"

She slowly ambled out of the bed, and walked towards the door. 'Somebody wrapped up my wounds,' she noted. There was fabric tightly strung across her back, where the whip marks had been. "Where do you think you're going?"

The voice belonged to a male and it was close by. The door creaked open, and showed her the hidden speaker. It was a man about her age with green skin. He was also a angel. "Stay back."

She backed up in panic._ 'Great, just great.'_ There was no way she could beat a adult, male angel in her condition, she was royally screwed. She backed herself into the corner, and gave her best glare. He slowly began to make his way towards her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He softly touched her arm gently. _'This is just a ploy,_' she thought. With a angry growl, she tried to push past him. "Get out of my way."

"I saved you from dying, and this is the thanks I get." She tilted her head at him curiously, but said nothing. His hand still rested firmly on her arm. Her legs gave a sudden shudder, and she fell to the ground. His arms were the only thing keeping her from hitting the floor. "You've already manage to hurt yourself."

"Why are you helping me?" He gently eased her back into the bed. This was the first time anyone had done something this nice for her. All this kindness was beginning to give her a funny feeling in her abdomen, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

She tilted her head. His eyes were full of honesty sincerity, but her trust did not come that easily. She gave a mighty sigh and crossed her arms. He murmured, "I…. I don't know, actually."

He gently placed a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of her. She glared at him suspiciously. _'It's probably poisoned,'_ she mused. Picking up the spoon, he made a attempt to hand-feed her. She growled, "I can feed myself."

He chuckled, "suit yourself."

His face began to look surprisingly familiar. It was prying at the back of her minds, but she couldn't place it. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

Pretending to look offended, he began to chuckled. "Yeah, you paralyzed me on the battlefield the other day. You can eat the food, you know. I haven't done anything to it."

"Yeah, right." While glaring at him, she picked up the silver spoon. '_Bottoms up,_' she thought. She clamped her eyes shut, and poured the soup down her throat. No burning nausea, or painful seizures followed. It did, however, make her realize how hungry she really was.

"I told you so." She was still glaring at him as she politely swallowed the soup. His constant watchfulness was beginning to make her slightly nervous. "If you don't like it, I can make you something else."

"It's fine." Her eyelids were beginning to droop slightly. This was the most tired she had ever been. She could feel his fingers pull the blanket up to her jaw bone, and she could almost swear that he hugged her.

"Goodnight Raven." He ran his fingers through his messy hair. If he got caught helping her, he was going to be slaughtered. He told himself that he could bring this girl to safety and forget about her, but that wasn't happening anytime soon. There was something about this demon that was unforgettable. He sighed, "I'll be back tomorrow."

Her eyes were already shut, but he could tell she was listening. With a unhappy sigh, he walked outside and sighed. _'How am I going to pull this off?' _The angel home was a walking distance away, and using his wings would take more energy then walking. Flying was more for long distance travel, since they slowed him to go much faster. The twenty minute walk back to his angel house seemed to fly by. Before he knew it, he was standing directly in front of his home.

"Honey, I'm home." The moment he walked through the door of the angel housing development, he was overrun by angel hugs. His mind had been on Raven, so he was taken by utter surprise. Kori, Richard and Victor were smiling like mad. It was almost like Christmas had come early. "What's up?"

"We are elated to see you well," Kori squealed. The hug choked all the life out of him. He wasn't particularly interested in their greeting, he was to wrapped up in thinking about the she-demon. "Are you not well? You do not seem to be your regular self?"

"I'm just fine," he gave a fake smiled. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and fall into bed. He wanted to forget about the demon fortress, yesterday's battle, but he did not want to forget about Raven. "I'm just a little tired."

Richard almost laughed in relief. "We're glad you're alright."

"I didn't get any of the seeing spheres planted." He didn't care about the seeing spheres, it all seemed like nothing compared to helping the she-demon. "There were to many guards around the demon fortress. A fly couldn't have gotten in there untraced."

"You took to long getting back here," Richard frowned. If he couldn't get into the main building, then why did it take him so long to get back here? He was also acting extremely odd. '_There must be something Garfield isn't telling us.'_ "Did you run into some trouble getting out of the fortress?"

"Nope," he said. '_Why is Richard looking at me like that?'_ His black haired friend was looking him up and down, as if he were sizing up a enemy. _'Crap, he's getting suspicious. If he finds out about Raven, then I'm totally screwed.' _"I'm starved," he lied. "I'm going to get me some grub."

He wasn't hungry in the slightest, but he didn't like the way Richard was looking at him. He didn't even feel like he was acting that differently. '_Maybe Boy Wonder can read minds.'_ Kori interrupted his thoughts with her cheerful gibbering. "I have prepared a pudding of wellness! Do you wish for some?"

"No, thanks." That pudding of wellness was bound to make him sick. He couldn't be sick, he had to take care of Raven tomorrow. Tomorrow seemed so far away when he had something to look forward to. "I'm more tired then hungry. I'll just hit the hay now and have a big breakfast."

* * *

There was a great deal of bustling outside of his door. He slowly made his way towards the living room, and glanced about curiously. There were quite a few angel guards standing in the living room, arguing with each other. He asked Kori, "what going on?"

"The demons are quite aggravated with us." She turned to him, frowning. Her emerald eyes no longer held her mesmerizing sparkle. "However, they have been mistaken."

He cried, "why?

"They believe the we have done the kidnapping of the daughter of Trigon," she whispered. He gulped nervously and began to cough, choking on his own wad of spit. Turning to look at him, everyone in the room became dead quiet. "Are you alright, Friend Garfield.?"

"Yep," he coughed. On the outside he was okay, but on the inside he was panicking. _'Shit! You've really gotten yourself into the crapper now, Garfield.'_ He had to talk to Raven about going back, or he was going to be put into the Saturday night stew. "I was just a little surprised."

"I was quite surprised, also." She patted his back. "It is peculiar that she would merely disappear into the air."

That settled it, he had to talk to Raven._ 'How could I leave without looking suspicious?'_ Everyone was still in obvious disquiet about the situation, and angels got suspicious when they were disquieted. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

"Do not be to long! Richard and I have prepared a fabulous feast." He wasn't sure how long he was going to take, and he didn't care. He flew to the cottage this time, he needed to get there as fast as possible. From a distance, he could see a figure standing out in front of the sunlight.

"I've been expecting you," she said. Her head tilted towards him in a abnormal way. She walked towards him with graceful, elegant steps. It was almost like he was entertaining the presence of great royalty, and she was the mightiest of them all. "Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem." He wasn't in a hurry anymore. Her presence was the most calming thing he had ever experience, but he was pretty sure she was using her powers to suppress him. She obviously did not trust him quite yet. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I am." Her eyes made him shiver. They were completely emotionless, it was almost like looking into a pool of unmoving water. He knew she could feel, he had seen emotion in her eyes before. "I know that my people are attacking the angel fort because of me. I must head back to the demon home."

He gripped her arm with his hand. There was a strange feeling lingering between them, he could feel it. As he touched her, feelings of uneasiness grew in her amethyst eyes. "Wait. They're not going to hurt you, are they?"

"Only a little," she responded. "I'll be fine. They can't kill me, I'm the only offspring of Trigon. I wasn't in any danger of dieing when you found me, my father just wanted to scare me a little. That's why there was such a uproar when I went missing."

"How did you know what was happening, anyway." Talking to Raven was just like playing with fire, you were going to get burned. Her eyes were flickering back to life. "Did one of your demon friends find you?"

"No, I have extreme empathy." She leaned down to pick up a flower on the floor and it died in her fingers. Even if all she had destroyed was a daisy, he could see the sadness in her eyes. All he wanted to do was hug her sadness away. "I could sense your turmoil from a distance away. I read your mind to find out why you were so upset."

"You can read minds?" _'Crap! I've been thinking of some things that a angel shouldn't think,'_ he thought. There was another lump caught in his throat. '_How do I always get myself into theses things?'_ "I didn't know that."

"Don't look so upset," she scowled. "I only read minds when it's absolutely necessary."

He sighed, "Good."

"I really have to go." She spread her wings in preparation to take off, but Gar forced her back to the ground. Her eyes widened to in surprise. His fingers still kept a firm grip on her body, keeping her from flying off. She barked, "What?"

"I want to see you again." His muscles contorted in a effort to keep her on the ground. If her body hadn't been so weak from the whipping, she probably could have flown off. "Just to make sure they don't end up hurting you."

"Why? I'm a demon, you're a angel. It isn't right." He slowly released her arm, as he realized that she was no longer trying to fly away. "If we get caught, we'll both be killed."

"What is all we have been taught is wrong?" He needed to find the answers more than anything. '_What if our leaders have been lying to us.'_ "Please…. I think you understand, why we need to do this."

"Fine," she groaned. He was pleasantly surprised that she decided to meet with him. Her eyes were still skeptical of him, there was still no trust. His insides were flopping with joy. She barked, "be here Wednesday at eight. If you're not here, I'm leaving."

"You mean eight at night, don't ya'? He had never been a early riser. Richard, Kori and Victor all knew that he would never get up at eight because of his own free will, they would begin to get suspicious. "The other angels would be suspicious, if I woke up that early. It's like achicken chasing a fox, it just doesn't happen."

She groaned, "That's just great."

"Could we meet at two o'clock in the morning? The other angels will be asleep by then, and it will be easier not to get caught." He usually stayed up late into the night, and awoke later in the day. It wouldn't be irregular for him to be running around at two. "Unless demons are nocturnal or something."

"Of course we're not nocturnal, you unintelligent fool." Weariness was reflected in her eyes. This wasn't going to be easy on either of them. "It doesn't matter what time I sneak out, there are always guards one place or another."

"Do you think that you'll be able to get out?" If she was going to get hurt in the process, then he definitely didn't want to attempt a meeting.

"Of course," she leered. "I've been sneaking out for years."

"Okay," he hesitated. With a flick of her hair, she flew off into the sky. He gave a energetic wave towards her figure in the sky and smiled. "Goodbye."

This was turning out to be one unordinary week.

* * *

"Is it just me or has Garfield been acting a little strange lately?" He had never seen Gar behave so dissimilar. Logan had always been cheerful, but now he was abnormally blissful.

"It's not just you," Victor replied. "He hasn't played the Game Sphere with me for over a week. I hope the green bean hasn't gotten himself into any trouble."

"I to have seen such difference." Kori gave a soft sigh. "I believe that our young friend has encountered a female angel."

"It is possible." Gar would have told them, if he had potentially mate spotted. _'Maybe he was embarrassed,'_ he mused

"I believe so," She smiled. "I was as blissful as he, on our ceremonial night."

It could happen. Garfield was a young angel, and there were many female angels looking for a mate. In a world caught in the middle of a war, it made things easier to have a warm face to see at night. "It seems so out of character for him not to tell us."

"Perhaps, he is wishing to give us the surprise."

"Maybe," he said. '_There is something more going on, I can feel it_.' "But, why was he so hostile to our angel leaders. He was angry at them for some reason, and hostility does not come with being in love."

Everyone was silent. There was no happy answer for that question, something was going on. "I do not know, but I'm sure he has a good reason for being so irate. It is not in his nature for him to be upset without reason."

"Vic, do you still have the seeing spheres Garfield gave you?" If there was something unusual going on, they were going to catch it. "I want you to plant those in Gar's room."

"I don't know, man." Victor frowned at the floor. "Isn't is a invasion of privacy?"

"If he is doing something he shouldn't be, then we can stop him before the angel leaders find out." He hoped that Kori's theory was true, but he doubted it. Gar was drawing away from them, as if they were the enemy. "Don't you want to help him?"

Victor sighed, "I don't know."

Even though they fought, Garfield and Victor were extremely close. He knew that Stone felt like he was deceiving his pal. He said, "If Gar finds out, I'll tell him that you weren't apart of it."

"I guess." He let out a sigh of relief. Since he was the leader of this squad, it was up to him to make sure his teammate wasn't in trouble. Even if that meant bending the rules of privacy a little. Victor groaned, "I can have them up in a hour. If Gar comes home, don't let him in his room until I come out."

"Gotcha." Gar had said that he was going to be gone all afternoon, so he wasn't worried about him coming home_. 'Where the hell could he be?'_ "I doubt he'll be home."

"Are you sure that it is proper to do the bugging on our friend?" It looks like he was on his own in this. It wasn't like he wanted to watch Garfield's every move, but he didn't feel like he had a choice.

"What other choice do we have?"

* * *

**_Glossary of Terms_**

**Seeing Sphere: A device used to record audio and visual information.**

* * *

**Read and Review Please!**


	4. Chapter 4: Discovered

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Discovered.**

* * *

The cottage was being eaten alive by crimson flames. Even the rain pouring from the sky could not distinguish the flames. Rachel and Garfield stood from a distance, watching the inferno.He cried, "I can't believe this."

"It was bound to happen eventually." The lightening was almost constant since the war began. The demon and angel forts all had rods to keep the lightening from hitting their buildings, but the hut had gone unprotected for centuries. "It was only a matter of time."

"What are we going to do now?"

Rachel ran her fingers through her hair. The smoke coming from the burning grass could be seen from miles away. "We can't stay here. A fire this big is bound to attract some attention."

"My roommates are off training some rookie angels." Teaching the beginner angels was a volunteer job that he usually participated in. Training sucked, but there was always a roaring party afterward. "And, I'm pretty sure our team leader has a map of the area. It'll help us find a new meeting place."

"That isn't a good idea," she growled. It wasn't worth risking there lives over a map. Scouting for a new meeting place would be a lot slower, but it would be safer. "I don't want to risk getting caught."

"Come on, Rae!" He thought, _'I wonder what her room looks like_.' It was something that bugged him for the longest time." It will be fun! My room is totally awesome."

She muttered, "I doubt it."

"Please, Rae!" Every where she went, Rachel always left behind a scent. He wanted her smell in his room, just to remind him of her. Deep down, he had already admitted his love for her. "I know a lot of ways to get you in, it'll be easy."

She sighed, "I'll think about it, but definitely not tonight."

Her father had called another meeting with her. She had no idea what he wanted. However, she knew that it was extremely important. The mere thought of her father gave her the shivers. "Are you okay? You seem quiet tonight."

"I'm fine," she barked. The wind was giving her the chills. It was always cold. There were no seasons anymore, just the constant chill of near artic temperatures. Even when the sun was out, it was still amazingly freezing. Meeting outside would be impossible. "I'm going back to the fortress."

Gar grabbed her arm before she turned. "Wait!"

"What?" His lips gently met his before she could finish. He pulled away quickly, shocked by his own sudden display of daring. Rachel looked at him speechlessly.

"You okay?" Her eyes were wide with shock. "I'll see you here tomorrow. I'll bring the map with me, so you don't have to worry about sneaking into my house."

"Okay." That was all her mouth allowed her to say.

* * *

She was still in shock after Garfield's sudden display of affection. Her stomach was still dancing, and her lips were tingling. Even meeting her father wasn't going to spoil her good mood. Tonight she didn't bother with knocking, her father's chambers were already unlocked. "Hello father." 

"Good evening." He was smiling. She obviously wasn't the only one in a good mood. His tongue began to scratch his nose. "I have some good news, daughter."

"What is it?" Good news for him, usually meant bad news for her. Her happiness was shriveling away faster then she thought it would, and her dancing stomach began to sink.

"I have found you a mate." She could swear that her heart stopped beating for several seconds. There was no way she was going to mate with another demon. The pure thought caused her to vomit. "He was a tough bargainer. Be grateful child, I had to pay him much to take you."

"What?" Not only was he going to make her mate with a demon, he had to pay him to take her. This was a real self confidence booster, no doubt. "I won't do it."

"You will, daughter." His tongue slipped around like a gigantic snake. It wasn't a pretty sight at all. "If you refuse, then there will be severe consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" Her head drooped several inches. His black eyeballs were giving her the ultimate stare down, judging her with ever flick of his pupils.

"I will sire another child if necessary," he growled. The floor groaned as he ambled over to her, and forced her head upward. There eyes met. "That makes you, my dear, dispensable."

For the first time since she was a mere child, she was at a loss of words. His evil eyes were sucking her in, terrifying her with every new turn. "I'll think about it."

"Good." Trigon released his grip on her head. "I entrust you will make the correct decision."

"I'll think about it," she repeated.

"Let yourself out," he barked. She didn't need to be told twice. She was out the door faster than a bobcat pounces upon a rabbit.

"Goodbye," she yelled at her father. Her insides now bubbled with anger instead of love.Death sounded better than being forced to produce children with another demon. She needed to talk to Gar and fast. There was no time for hesitation.

Her wide wings spread as she hurled herself over the gate. Wings flapping rhythmically, she carelessly flew into the angels fortress. Sure enough, all the angels were all distracted by the party in the town central. All angels except one, that is. "Rae, what are you doing here?"

"I had to talk to you." Gar gave her a confused nod. It was only by coincidence that he had spotted Rachel. They were definitely luckier than a bunch of four leaf clovers. "Immediately."

"They didn't catch you with me, did they?" He knew they would most likely get caught eventually, but he had hoped that it wouldn't be this soon.

"No," she replied. Even though the angels appeared not to notice her, she would feel a lot more comfortable in a place where there wasn't any angels. "It's something else. Can we go someplace more private?"

Gar gave a slackened nod, and grabbed her arm. His house was only about fifty feet away from where they stood. "My house is over there."

It wasn't very large, but the moment she saw it, she liked it. It was one of those houses that gave you the feeling of coziness and family. "Alright."

The walk to the house was a short, silent one. Opening the door to the house, she crept silently inside of the house. The lights had been left on by the previous occupants, and there was food still left on the countertop. "This is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"I guess," she said. Secretly she loved the house. It was full of memories, good and bad. There were pictures on the wall, showing people laughing happily together. Rachel looked over the frames and gave a envious sigh. This was the kind of place she had always dreamed of living in.

He grabbed her hand, and led her through the kitchen. "Shut your eyes, Rae. I want my room to be a surprise."

Her eyes flickered with aggravation._ 'Does he really expect me to play his little games?'_ She muttered, "I don't think so."

"Just this once," he smiled. "I want it to be special."

"I don't know." It didn't seem ethical. His room couldn't be spectacular enough to earn on the attention. After all, it was only a small room in a tiny house.

"I'll buy you some new books," he begged. He crawled onto his knees, and gave her his best puppy dog look. The looked never worked on her, but he didn't think it would hurt to try. "I'll be your slave for a week!"

"Does it really mean that much to you?" Rachel gave him a sour look. She thought, '_I'm turning into a big softie_.'

"Yes." His smile grew. The battle was over, and he was the victor.

Her eyes fluttered shut. The real reason he made her close her eyes was that his room was extremely messy. If her eyes were shut, then he would have enough time to shove things into his closet. "Give me a second."

She heard the door in front of her creak open, and she was overcome with a grotesque smell. There had been many bodies left to decay in the demon fort, but none of them smelled as bad as his room. It was almost frightening. "What is that horrible smell?"

"Well, it's my room." He waved his hand in front of her eyes to make sure that she wasn't peaking. With a relieved sigh, he shoved all the clothes and garbage into his closet. Now for the foul smell. He picked up some disinfectant and sprayed the room.

"It smells like a war zone." The disinfectant hadn't been able to conquer the germs or smell.

"You can open your eyes now." She wasn't sure that she wanted to open her eyes. The smell was alarming enough. If it reeked that badly, then what would the room look like?

"I don't know," she replied. Her eyes drifted open, and she was pleasantly surprised. The room wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. There was still puddles of unidentifiable, green substances on the floor, but it didn't look like a giant waste sight.

"What do you think?" She was silent for a moment. The way Gar went on and on, she had expected something a little more exquisite.

She replied, "It's certainly no palace."

"Yep," he smirked. The stench was so pungent that it almost made her sick. She wasn't sure how he could stand to sleep here. "You'll get used to the smell."

She hesitantly lumbered over to his bed, and checked to make sure that there was no strange green puddles. After she was sure the coast was clear, she sat down. "Gods, Garfield. What did you keep in here that makes it smell this badly?"

"I don't know." He looked around the room. "I think it's the green stuff that cause the smell. It's pretty acidic to, so try to keep your distance from it."

She shook her head in disgust. The scent drove her mind away from her dilemma, at least. "I need to talk to you."

He slowly edged across the bed, and wrapped his arm around her. This was pretty sudden, she didn't usually want to talk to him about anything. "You can tell me anything."

"My father is going to force me to marry-"

"No," Gar cried. Just when he had finally sorted through his feeling, something like this had to happen. It was just his luck. "You can't."

"Or, he'll kill me." She wasn't offended by her fathers threat of murder. Rachel accepted long ago that Trigon did not love her. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm running away from the demon fort, and I won't be able to meet with you any longer."

"Let me help you, Rachel." He couldn't bear the thought of not having her around anymore. She was his life, he needed her. "I'll find you a place to stay. That way I can take care of you."

"Why do you want to help me all the time?" She silently crossed her fingers in her lap. "We're supposed to be enemies."

"Rae, I love you." She stared at him. '_I must not have heard him right,_' she mused.

"What was that?" His eyes searched her face. He slowly eased his hands to the bottom of her chin, and he tilted her face towards his. Drawing closer, she could feel his hot breathagainst her cheek.

"I love you." There lips met and became melted together. Pulling him against her, they tumbled onto the bedspread, not breaking the kiss. His tongue begged for access to her mouth, and she allowed him access almost immediately.

Her heart beat like a drum in her chest, while her lungs begged for access to the air. She pulled away and took quick, hurried breaths. "Wow."

"I'll stick with you forever, Rae." Her eyes seemed skeptical as they studied him. Growing up with demons had not inspired a trusting nature, but he didn't care. If she didn't believe him, he would find a way to prove it to her.

She asked, "forever?"

"Forever," he promised. A small smile played along her perfect lips. It was enough to leave him speechless for several moment.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He slowly fingered her hair and chuckled. It was a look she had never seen before. The look wasn't pleasant, but it curious and new.

"I just saw a glimpse of heaven."

* * *

"I can't believe this," Richard barked. The seeing sphere had just told them all that they needed to know. "I suspected something along associating with demons from the very beginning, but falling in love with a demon? It's preposterous." 

"What shall we do," Kori asked. Garfield was there friend, they couldn't turn him into the authorities. Even talking with a demon was considered death worthy.

"We'll have to approach him," he responded. "If he refuses to stop seeing the demon girl, then we won't have much choice."

Are you suggesting that we turn him in?" Victor didn't like that idea at all. Not only would his friend die, but he would have the guilt on his shoulders for the rest of his life. "Even if Gar is making a mistake, he's one of us. We stick together."

"I agree with friend Victor, he is our friend. It would not be proper to-"

"Hey guys," Gar cried. Relocating Rachel was not a problem. There happened to be a small abandoned village a few miles from the angel fort, and most of the houses were in semi-good shape. "What's up?"

"We need to talk." Richard was the first to approach him. "Now."

"Okay," he replied._ 'They know,'_ he thought. '_Holy crap._' The room's atmosphere was almost like pudding, thick and dense. "Don't get your panties in a twist."

"We know about your little demon girlfriend," Richard murmured. "What the hell were you thinking?"

There wasn't much to say. He was going to keep seeing Rachel no matter what they said. When he told her forever, he meant it. "This is my business, not yours!"

"You are going to get yourself killed!" His voice boomed. Houses from all around could probably hear Richard's yelling. "Do you want that?"

"I love her!" He was willing to die for her. It wasn't like he wanted to die, but if it came to that, then he would be willing to die. "I don't care about anything else."

"Demons are heartless creatures that know nothing but death." That was that they had been taught from the very beginning. It was the very first lesson they were taught in the school, and they made sure that it was etched into there memories. "They cannot love."

"They were lying to us! Our leaders are idiot!" The God they knew wouldn't want all this killing. The war had taken many lives; there was no way God would have allowed them to kill as they had. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"We are lead by great angels." Richard couldn't believe what he was hearing. His friend was turning his back away from everything they had been taught. The demon girl had done more damage, then he ever believed possible.

"Do you really think that God would have wanted us to kill all those humans? If the leaders were getting there commands from him, as they said they were, then we wouldn't have hurt so many." Richard and he were face to face, staring each other down like wolves. Their eyes shimmered with the thrill of the fight. "We are not lead by God at any rate."

"The demon has poisoned your mind." Richard turned to leave, but he stopped him. The battle was in his arena now, he wasn't about to lose.

"First off, her name is Rachel. Stop calling her demon girl." Nobody had seen Garfield be this assertive before. It just wasn't in his kind, fun loving nature. "Secondly, don't be blinded. We have been taught a lie all of our lives. The demons, if they are truly demons, aren't as we think they are."

"What are you proposing, friend?" Kori cocked her head at Garfield. "Have you begun to think that we are not angels and demons, as the others have proposed?"

"Yes," he replied. "That is exactly what I am implying."

"That seems a little bit farfetched, man."

"Far fetched, yes. Impossible, no."

* * *

**Authors note:**

**I'm sorry that it took me so long to update! I forgot to post that I would be on vacation for a couple quite some time! Anyway, I tried to get this chapter up as fast as I could! I'll try to make the next chapter a little longer to make up for the long wait! (-8**

**Cheers!**

**Ravenmasteroftele!**

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5: The Forest of the Dead

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans!**

**No flaming please!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Forest of the Dead**

* * *

"Bring me that girl's head on a plate." Jade slowly ran her fingers through her platinumblonde hair. The plan was going as planned, all the creatures were turning against each other. They would soon destroy themselves, leaving the world free for her ruling.

"Do you mean that literally or metaphorically?" They were all terrified of Jade Amnion, there supposed leader. She was cruel and did not hesitate to give away painful punishments. Her hair was already beginning to curl in hersparked rage.

"What did I say about asking me questions?" The servant hid away instantly. He had a family of six at home, and they needed his pay check to get by. She was like lit fire works, there wasn't much time until she blew up.

"Never ask any questions, Master." He bowed before her and kissed her toes. Some servants had been decapitated for asking questions, he couldn't leave his loving kin fatherless.

She shot him a look of utter disgust. Usually she was in the mood for groveling, but not today. "Get up, man. You are lucky I'm in a good mood, or I would have punished you greatly. How many children are in your family, sire?"

Master Jade never showed any interest in her servants families. The sudden interest she was suddenlyshowing unnerved him. "Six, Master."

"Good," she smiled coyly. This was one of her favorite parts about being in command. "One more mistake like this, and you're eldest child will find itself limbless. Do you understand me?"

Color disappeared from his already pale face. This was why he hated being put in Jade's corridors, she was pure evil. "Yes, master."

"Leave my presence." She heard the distant scurrying of feet against the carpet and the door clicked shut. A soft, evil laugh filled the room, making even insects scurry away in fright. The ball was in Jade's playing field now.

The large computer flicked on, and her associate in crime smiled evilly. She would have to put up with him for now, but after the world was hers, he would have to be killed. Her annoyance was well hidden behind her iron face. "Hello, Milady."

"Good evening, Yuri." He was in charge of watching over the demon fortress. The man stared fearlessly into her green eyes, not at all frightened of her hidden powers. This she would have to change, for everyone should fear Jade. "All is well, I presume."

"Reasonably," he responded. "The woman has runaway from the fortress due to her father's will. Perhaps our plans would flow easier, if we disposed of Trigon. I believe that having the young girl in power would make things a lot easier."

"I highly agree." His face was disgusting enough to make her want to puke. '_Calm yourself, Jade_.' She thought, '_this hideous beast will be disposed of soon enough.' _"Perhaps you could destroy Rachel's father yourself. After all, he may be a bit of a challenge for our other guards."

"Of course," he responded. He was evil, but not nearly as evil as she. Ever since she was a small child, she had dreamed of this moment. "I shall take great pleasure in it."

As a small child, Jade had poisoned both of her parents die at a young age. She smirked as she thought about her parent's slow, excruciating deaths. They deserved it, of course. Her father had sexually abused her since she was child, and her mother had done nothing to stop it. Post Traumatic Disorder had affected her since then, making every dream a living hell. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

The pure thought of having another creature die in her hands gave her a stomach a whirl of excitement. Everything would be filled with death and destruction after she was done with it. "Good," he responded. "I'll do it tonight."

"Was there anything else?" She was getting bored with this idle chit chat. If she didn't see any killing soon, she was going to scream. After she murdered both of her parents, she had developed a addiction to it. It was so much fun to watch there faces flash in fear right before death hit. The ultimate terror. It was positively delightful.

"Actually, there is." Even he was frightened of Jade. He nervously scratched the rather large patch of hair growing behind his left ear. It was a nervous reaction that he could never seem to get rid of. "What if we can't find Roth?"

"Leave that to me," Jade responded. No one had escaped her wrath yet, and she didn't intend for this to be the first time. She puckered her lips in ennui. Her attention span had run out, she was now preoccupied by a blood stain on her carpet. "I will find her."

He swore softly. Long ago Jade had been different, there was no hostility. They had been childhood friends playing together in a neighboring village. There friendship had seemingly survived through the rough turmoil in the ages, and when Jade proposed that they should work together, he had jumped at the idea. This wasn't the girl playing with her sand toys that he used to know. "Alright, just don't do anything rash."

"Rash." she screeched. "Have I ever been rash?"

"Of course not," he replied quickly. In the beginning Jade had said that she had wanted a peaceful world, and that together they could make things better. That was before the tricks and killing. The whole planet was at war because of what they had done. "I'm sorry for even suggested it."

"You'd better be," she barked. The connection broke.

* * *

The abandoned town was small, and was surrounded by grassland for miles around. The houses were all strung tightly together in cute, little rows. Garfield's words were still dancing in her head. Rachel couldn't make up her mind about how she felt. His love admittance had been so sudden, and he seemed so sure of himself. She didn't feel sure of herself at all.

'_Do I love him_?' She did care about him, and she knew that she was infatuated. _'Love is such a confusing thing_,' she thought. '_How can he be so sure of himself?'_ "I don't know what to do."

"How about you turn around slowly?" There was a barrel of a gun pointed at the back of her head. Guns hadn't been used since the humans were in control of the planet, and now there technology was obsolete. She could easily get out of the gun's range.

"No." The voice was high pitched, even when compared to Kori's. She could make out whiffs of golden blonde hair in the corner of her eyes. '_No wings,'_ she thought. '_Wingless creatures hadn't been around for ages.'_ "I don't think I will."

"I wasn't asking." A flash of violet light blinded her vision before she had time to react. Her body tumbled to the floor, and crumbled into a heap. Jade smiled coyly, "Mission complete."

The gun was only used for stunning. Jade had much more dangerous guns used for the killing. She slowly rolled the unconscious girl on the floor with her boot heel. "I expected a lot more of fight from you, miss Roth."

* * *

"Where is she?" Rachel had promised him that she would never leave the house unless it was a emergency. There had to be something wrong. His friends trailed behind him, looking at Gar queerly. All of her things were still left in the house, and the stove was still simmering. "She promised me that she wouldn't leave this place."

"Perhaps she is in trouble." Kori trusted him. She knew that he would never fall in love with something heartless, he wasn't like that. Everything was neatly in order. If something bad had happened, it must have occurred quickly.

"That's my best guess," he said. On the floor was a bunch of muddy footprints. Rachel didn't have boots with ridges, so there had to have been a intruder. "Look. Those aren't her boot prints."

"We all saw what damage she could do. Whoever dragged her off must have been pretty powerful," Richard muttered. Most of the demon people never wore shoes, they traveled everywhere with their bare, scaly feet. Angels hardly wore boots because the heftiness slowed them down during flight.

"I'm going to find who took her, they won't get away with this." He turned off the stove, and took one last look around the room.

"I will accompany you on your quest." She put her hand on his shoulder. There wasn't much that she wouldn't do for a friend, and he may need her. "This girl means much to you, and I only wish for your happiness."

"I'll help you to, grass stain." They all turned to look at Richard. His stubbornness helped him as a leader, but sometimes it harmed friendships. Victor elbowed his arm to encourage words out of him.

"Does this demon really mean that much to you?" They were a team, and teams stuck together. Even if it was something that he didn't quite approve of.

"Yes," he murmured. "I would do anything for her."

"Fine," Richard sighed. Sometimes being the leader was tough, especially if your team all voted against you. He was also curious about the demon girl. He had always heard that demons were unintelligent, and Gar had said that the girl outsmarted him greatly. Although, it wasn't hard to outsmart Garfield. "If she means that much to you, I'll go."

'_This is what true friendship is_,' he smiled. '_We would do anything to help each other out, even if it's against our principles.'_ There was nothing like knowing there were people you could count on, no matter what. "Thank you, Richard. I appreciate it."

Rich gave him a brief nod. "We need us to follow the tracks, they might tell us in which direction they went."

Gar smiled, "I hope she's okay."

The tracks weren't hard to follow, it was almost as easy as connect the dots. "That's odd," Richard mused. "The tracks stop right outside of her window. Usually, it takes angels and demons a couple of steps to get the agility needed to take off. These tracks vanished the moment they reach outside. It's almost like it completely disappeared, and even we can't do that."

"So, it probably didn't have wings." This was a little confusing for his brain to handle, but there was no time for simplifications. He would just have to pretend like he understood for the time being. The tracks were small, almost the size of his outstretched hand.

"That's what I'm thinking. In the mud it's easier to see," he nodded. "When a winged creature walks, most of its weight is put in its back heel. Whatever this is, balanced its weight in the ball of its foot. Either it had no wings at all, or its wings are extremely light. It probably isn't a demon or angel."

"I have been taught that all other creatures are extinct, are they not?" She to had been taught to be able to track demon and angel prints, and this was nothing she had ever seen before.

"Crap," he growled. "That puts us back at square one."

"No," Rich said. There was one place that they were forbidden to go. It was a place called the Forest of the Dead. It was supposed to be the home of the dead that were forsaken here. If they were disturbed, they would devour your soul. "The Forest of the Dead is the only place that is not charted on our maps, and Rachel could have been taken there by her kidnapper. Everywhere else is the demon and angel territory."

"The Forest of the Dead?" He got a chill just saying it. The Forest wasn't going to get in his way of saving her, but he must admit that he was now a little scared. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Richard nodded. "Are you still willing to go?"

"Of course." He was a little worried about his friends. They would have to put themselves into a lot of danger, if they went to the Forest of the Dead. If they changed there minds, he wouldn't blame them. "What about you guys? Are you still coming with me?"

"Of course," Kori smiled.

Victor nodded, "I'm in."

"Do you really think I'm going to let Kori go alone?" Rich loved the bubbly redhead fiercely. If she was going, then he was going too. "I'm going."

"Let's get packing."

* * *

Her head felt like it had been crushed by a bulldozer. Everything was blurry and cold. Rachel wasn't sure where the blonde women had taken her, but she wasn't going to wait for their next encounter. "Ah, so you have finally awoken."

The old women in the corner had spoken to her. The poor lady was covered in wrinkles and light cloth. In the ice cold jail cell, flimsy clothes could mean death. They were in a old fashioned cell surrounded completely by solid rock. "Where are we?"

"We are in the Tower of Minimum," the old women chuckled. The female was giving Rachel the creeps, it was almost like she was talking to her father. "You will never escape."

"I will find a way out." She had to tell Gar that she loved him. She couldn't allow herself to die until he knew how she felt. "I have something that I need to do."

"What is so important?" The old women began to cough. It was cold enough to even make Rachel slightly woozy, and demons were rarely affected by temperature. She looked at the women quietly. "If you give me a proper answer, I will show you the exit."

"If I don't give you the right answer, what will happen?" The women's teeth were yellow and molded with age. She didn't feel comfortable with sharing her personal life with a strange, old person.

"I will devour your soul." At first she thought the senior was joking, but when she looked into the women's eyes, she realized that the old lady was very serious. Her heart sped up for a few beats before returning back to normal.

The women got off the floor, and ambled over with a toothy grin. "Answer, young one. Your soul will be mine for the taking, if you do not answer. Why do you wish to leave?"

"I love someone." She didn't really believe that the women could eat her soul, but maybe she did no the way out. Answering the question would be a lot quicker then finding a escape route on her own. "I must tell him how I feel."

"Love. That is a very good reason to wish to leave." The old women pointed her finger at the nearest wall, and the stone paneling disappeared. She looked at the wrinkly senior in surprise. "I grant you permission to exit."

She slowly began to walk towards the exit, expecting the old lady to follow her. But to her surprise, the wrinkled women held back. This was the strangest place she had ever been, and that included the demon's mating ceremony. "Aren't you coming?"

The old women smiled and disappeared. "What the hell?"

She slowly looked out from beyond the stone prison and gulped. This was the Forest of the Dead. Nobody who had ever stepped foot in this forest, ever came out alive. The stones crunched beneath her black battle boots. "This is definitely not one of my better days."

"I would say not." She jerked around and found herself face to face with Jade.

"What do you want with me?" Jade was starting to get on her last nerve. She made a attempt to punch the blonde girl in the face, but she missed badly.

"We will discuss that later," she smiled. "Come."

Rachel growled, "No."

"Oh, that's to bad." Jade slowly raised the stun gun, and waved it front of her face. "It looks like I'm going to have to stun you again. We don't want that, do we?"

"Fine." If she was awake, it would be easier to form a escape plan. Whoever this person was, she didn't want to give up without a fight. "I'll go."

"Good," Jade smirked. "I didn't think you wanted a repeat of last time."

The blond chick obviously didn't have any powers. She could be easily defeated when she was gun-less and unprepared, all she had to do was wait for the opportune moment. "I still don't understand what you want with me, I'm basically worthless."

"Worthless, quite the contrary." Jade gave her another big smile. Her teeth were definitely something that other girls would envy. "I have lots of useful propositions for you, I'm sure you'll find them all highly inviting."

"Well, Ms-"

"It's Ms. Amnion. You may call me Jade." This blonde girl was really pissing her off. She acted like a spoiled princess.

"Well, Jade." Rachel thought, 'It's my turn to be annoying.' "I don't think I'm interested in your propositions. I don't do deals with spoiled brats."

"Don't start that," she growled. The demon reminded her of herself, feisty and full of fire. If Rachel decided to go along with her plans, then she would have to be killed early on. Jade couldn't have to much competition running around her corporations. "You haven't even heard the plans."

"I don't need to," she scowled. If only she had taken off running when she saw the exit in the jail cell, then she wouldn't be in this mess. "You types are all the same. I bet you even want to take over the planet."

"I know it's clique, but-"

She smirked, "I knew it."

Jade gave her a firm slap across the face, and she jumped back in surprise. "Do not interrupt me when I am speaking," she yelled. "You are pissing me off, you demon."

"Temper tantrums for the princess." When creatures were mad, they got distracted. For instance; A unfocused human could possibly take off their gun at the wrong moment. "You really should work on those anger problems."

"One more word," she breathed, massaging her petite neck. Rachel hoped that she hadn't pushed things to far. Angry creatures may have trouble focusing, but they could also make things a little more painful for you. "I will-"

"You're going to what?" Jade's pretty blue eyes were bugging out of her head. It almost made her look like a deranged bug. "You need me, I presume. You can't do anything to me."

"For now, Demon." she shook her finger in front of Rachel's face. "But, I will not need you for long. Watch your back, I will destroy you."

"I'm counting on it."

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6: The Hellish SpitWad

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No flaming please**.

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**Chapter 6: The Hellish Spit-Wad.**

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The Forest of the Dead was the most feared place on the planet. Mostly because of the large amount of evil entities wandering through the dense trees, but the Forest of the Dead was almost completely lifeless. Everything was made of thin layers of glass. A single touch could send a entire tree to the ground. Garfield grimaced at the gates of the Forest."You guys ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Victor grunted. Once you went in, you couldn't get back out the same way. The doors locked and unlocked from the outside, and the only way out was at the end on the forest.

It took all of five of them to open the heavy, glass gate. Oozing monsters lay on the ground, ready to strike. The monsters and ghosts were the only thing that inhabited the forest. "This place smells worse than my room, and that's pretty hard to do."

"This place is dreadful. What could have done this?" She looked at a large Monarch Butterfly that had been changed into glass. She stroked the beautiful bug and it shattered, cutting her hand in a million different places. Letting out a shriek of despair, she yanked her hand back.

Rich yelped, "Are you okay, Kori?"

She gave nod, but she didn't look alright. Her face was as pale as freshly washed hospital bed sheets. Everyone was on edge. You never really heard true silence, until you were in the Forest of the Dead. There was no weather, only a grey, colorless sky. He murmured, "Was that there before?"

A large, black building stood in the middle of the forest. It was the type of building that would have been shown in a 70's horror flick, all it needed was a little lightening. Richard grumbled, "How should I know? We've never been here before."

"I believe that we should do the checking out of this building." Her voice shook with every word. Everyone was beginning to lose the brightness that had once been reflected in their faces. The Forest of the Dead sucked life out of you, slowly they would turn to glass like the plantation. "Perhaps Rachel is there."

"That's my best bet," Gar said. It didn't look like the building had any guards, but he doubted that they needed any. Even the bravest of warriors fled from the Forest of the Dead. The only thing that kept him going through this horrible place was his love for Rachel, he could not let her down. She was the reason why he got up every morning. "It doesn't look like it will be hard to get inside."

A orb of light flickered in the corner of his eye, and he turned towards the light. It was a old women with teeth as green as a lime, her eyes had no pupils and were filled with unidentifiable emotions. "You have come looking for the girl."

"Do you mean Rachel?" Her eyes flickered with amusement. It was enough to send chills down everyone's spine. "Was she with you?"

"Perhaps," the old women chuckled. "Perhaps not."

"Tell me." He held the old women up by her ragged tunic, but she merely croaked with more silent laughter. She was not threatened by Gar's behavior in the slightest. Her foul breath was strong enough to make his viscous attack stop. "Please, I must find her. Can you tell me where she went?"

She licked her cracked lips, "You must be the man she spoke of."

"Please," he begged. Voices seemed out of place in the never ending silence. It was almost like sound did not exist in the Forest. "You have to tell me."

"Very well." She tilted her head and breathed into his face. His eyes clouded over, and he could feel his own body become paralyzed. "Jade has taken her to the main building, but you will never get inside. You will all die in this place."

"Who is this Jade?" He tried desperately to wriggle out of the hold of her bewitching, horrible breath. She could have easily killed him in a hundred of different ways. "What does she want with Rachel?"

"I am not aware of why she wants your lover, but I know of who she is. Do not take her lightly, she has the power to destroy you." He heard a sharp cracking noise behind them, and he turned to look at his friends in horror. They had begun to turn into glass. There feet had already begun to turn transparent. To his own surprise, his own feet still remained perfectly normal. "You're friends are beginning to change."

"No," he whimpered. The glass was slowly making its way up his friends body's like a deadly poison, eventually covering there heads. "Why is this happening?"

"As long as there bodies are not shattered, there is still hope for them." He was growing angry now. The women was talking to briefly about everything for it to be understandable.

"Start at the beginning," he stated.

"Ah, the beginning. How very long ago it was," she hissed. "Once this planet was covered completely by the human race, there weren't any angels and demons as we call you. We were all human. A man by the name of Tirani Witchuca was born at the rise of the century."

He yelled, "what does this have to do with anything?"

"Patience," she scratched the fungus growing on her upper lip. "Tirani had a deep obsession of giving humans gifts that they did not already possess. He took humans and tested them, finding exactly what it was that could alter the human's DNA. Thus came angels and demons."

"You and your friends are merely prototypes of humans with more complex DNA. Both prototypes lived in harmony until Tirani was murdered by his own daughter, Jade. She was the one who stared the war between the two prototypes because they would never proclaim her ruler. She now waits for the creatures to finish each other off, so she may conquer this place."

"What about my friends," he cried. "What is happening to them?"

"In order for Jade to power her weapons, she uses life force. This is what happens when all the life force has been sucked out of a given area. Your love for Rachel must be keeping you from turning to glass." Her eyes were no longer focused on him. A single robin floated in the sky, but it had already turned to glass and plummeted towards the ground.

"Love?" He always had his head stuck in the clouds, but that sounded like a fairy tale story. "Love can't do things like that."

"You are very wrong," she cackled. "Love contains a type of life force that cannot be manufactured. It's what's keeping you alive."

"My friend loves Kori, but he's still glass." He knew that Richard loved Kori deeply. "Why is he still made from glass?"

"He was not focused upon his love when he entered this place," she bobbed her head sleepily.

He frowned, "I guess that makes sense,"

"Of course," she growled. "There is still hope for your friends, but you will never make it. You will be stuck here for the rest of eternity like me, you fool."

"Wait!" The old women disappeared faster than a crème filled donut. "I'm not finished talking to you!"

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A plate of chocolate truffles were placed in front of her, making it even harder to resist eating the food. There could be poison in everything they served, she would die before her brain realized what happened. "What do you want?"

"So hasty, aren't we?" Jade popped the truffles into her mouth without thinking twice. "These chocolates are delicious, you should really try some."

Jade held out the truffles for Rachel, but she refused. This new villain could have marked the chocolates that were not poisoned. Even though she doubted that Jade was intelligent enough to try that little trick, she didn't want to take any chanced. "No. Tell me what I'm doing here!"

"Why so feisty?" Jade's face was bulging with chocolate. She didn't need any of Rachel's help to finish the chocolate, she could do it on her own. "It's not like you have anything to go home to. I hear you were pretty unpopular with the demon clan."

She was silent. If she even mentioned Gar, Jade could use him to blackmail her. She mumbled, "I have my reasons."

"I see." Jade did not look pleased, and that made her very happy. "Very well. I have a deal for you, Ms. Roth. I want you to return to your people and take control of your race. You will lead them to a great war with the angels, and death will destroy both sides. What do you say? Will you join me?"

This was all some trap. She wouldn't lose a night of sleep, if the demons became diseased and died; however, leading them to their doom would be a different story. "Do you really expect me to lead my entire race into the pits."

"Yes," Jade smiled. "I do."

"Why the hell would I do that?" She wasn't going to have blood on her hands. Watching her father kill made her nauseas, she would never be able to do it herself.

"I will spare your life." Even the most noble of creatures would surrender themselves in fear of death. There wasn't a doubt in Jade's mind that she would come around with a little persuasion. "You don't want to die, do you?"

She growled, "I would rather die."

"You will comply. In the end you will gravel before me like all the others, they always do." Jade's eyes glowed with a maniacal light. "Let's see how cocky you are, after I send you to the pits."

She spit in Jade's face. It wasn't a small amount of saliva, either. The spit-wad had been big enough to cover Jade's whole face and more. That was another hidden gift of her kind, they had unbelievable wads of spit. The demons that practiced spitting could summon enough force in there wads to match the power of a bazooka. Death by spit-wad was never a pretty sight. "You are nothing more than a spoiled child."

"To the dungeons with this one," she screeched. "I want her scourged so badly that she leaves a permanent trail of blood behind her! For Christ's sake, somebody get me a damn towel."

She hadn't meant to lost that much control of herself, it had been her impulsive nature. She knew that she would survive the beating, and she would tell Garfield that she loved him. Her soul would walk the earth forever, if she didn't finish her task before death. "Your beatings will not trample me, Jade. You know this."

"So you say now, but tomorrow you will be marching to a beat of a different drum." A near servant handed her the towel, and Jade tried desperately to clean her face with no prevail. With a frustrated growl, she threw the cloth against the ground. Typical princess behavior. Jade looked like a little five-year-old having a temper tantrum.

"I wouldn't put any money on it," she muttered.

"We shall see." Jade motioned with her hands, and the guard pulled her out of the room. The poor boy couldn't be older then 13, but he was in the middle of so much death and destruction. These were his vital years. Everything around you bent your personality, and turned you into your future self. If he remained here, she doubted that he would change for the better.

"You are very young," she whispered. "What are you doing in a place like this?"

"I would not be concerned about me, dude." His head bobbed as if he were listening to invisible music. She was surprised that such a small boy could manage to carry her. Her wings alone had to be about fifty pounds. "You're going to be slaughtered, man."

"I'll be fine."

The boy put her down on the marble hallway floor. "You aren't scared?"

"No," she smiled. She touched the boys hand and gave him a small smile. There wasn't any time for her to be afraid. Everything had happened so fast; but now, even when she had time to be afraid, she felt no fear whatsoever. This was her story. She was going to make sure that it at least had a semi-happy ending. "I'm not."

"How can you not be afraid?" He sat down beside her. His soft sneakers underneath his uniform squeaked against the marble floor. "You may die."

"I've got something I need to do," she frowned. It was always easier to listen to advice from a stranger. If they didn't know anything about you, it made you feel a little safer. "I also know that I'm doing the right thing. Nothing else matters, even if I do die."

He murmured, "the right thing."

"That's right." His soft eye brows were furrowed in frustration. He looked like a child with a serious constipation problem, but she restrained from laughing. She felt a little bit guilty about toying with this boy's emotion's in order to get free. "The right thing."

"If I let you go," he murmured. "Will you come back for me?"

"You're trapped here?" Gods, the guilt was unbearable. She hated going soft. Everything around her was beginning to make her emotional, and she promised herself that she would hide her feelings no matter how strong.

"Yep." He got off the floor and offered her his hand. "I always have been."

"I promise," she murmured. If she made a promise, she would keep it. This boy was now another roadblock in her plans. She knew that even if she hadn't made her promise, she would have came back for him. "I will come back."

"I trust you," he smiled. "The exit is over there."

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The mud had formed a deep cocoon around his body, he was slowly being sucked into the deep pit. Garfield was in the Forest of the Dead, nobody would ever come save him. Several orbs had formed around the pit, but none bothered to do more than shimmer. "Help me."

A blast of dark energy surrounded the orbs, sending them barreling against nearby trees. He knew the only person who had black energy was Rachel, she had managed to escape on her own. "……….."

He took her offered hand, and buried himself in her arms. He could feel tears of happiness form beneath his emerald eyes. "I thought that I would never see you again."

"You never shall," she said. This was not Rachel's voice. This voice was more sharp than a thousand woman scorned. He tried to pull away, but the foul smell of her breath once again paralyzed him. The old women had been right, he was going to die in this place.

"Who are you?" The vision of Rachel had faded, and was replaced by a beautiful, blonde girl. Her head only reached his belly button, but she still held him captive. His breaths were coming in short, raspy gasps. He could feel his soul being ripped from his body.

More silence. His head was bursting from its seams. It was as if somebody had stuck a auto-inflator in his ear and was trying to blow his head up like a balloon. She merely smiled, exposing more of her very predator-like teeth.

"Gar." He heard Rachel's voice calling his name from far away, but he assumed that it was his imagination. He was probably hallucinating because of his fear.

The creature hissed and back away as the sound of running footsteps neared them. The sound of feet was like a harp, soft and heavenly. He blinked his eyes at the creature running towards him. It really was Rachel, and she was coming to save him. "Rae."

He gave a sigh of relief and fell into a deep sleeping state.

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**Authors note:**

**I am deeply sorry for the delay and the short chapter. We are having our computer room painted, so I can't get to the computer often. It won't be long before I can post regularly.**

**Cheers!**

**Ravenmasteroftele!**


	7. Chapter 7: One Last Look

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No flaming please.**

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**Chapter 7: One Last Look**

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Raven was never going to forget the terror she felt in her heart at the moment. The ghost looked so small compared to Garfield, but she flung him around like a child's teddy bear. The gravel crunched beneath her leather boots as she ran towards them. Her heart was pounding so hard that she swore that its rhythmic pulses could cause a earthquake. "Gar."

The ghost backed away from him immediately. She was surprised that it had decided to back down. If it had taken him so easily, then it definitely could have beaten her. She wasn't about to complain, having her soul eaten wasn't on her wish list.

His body fell down to a ground like a bolt of lightening. His chest ascended and descended at normal rate. Reaching down to help him, she felt a extreme amount of pain imbedded in her shoulder blades, it was almost like someone had branded her with a piece of fiery metal. She had been so focused on finding Gar that she was completely oblivious to her own injuries. Her powers had been nearly all used up, and healing was near impossible at this point. "Why do you have to be so heavy?"

She knew that he couldn't hear her, but she spoke anyway. It felt good to have him around her again. Even when he was unconscious it made her feel safe being near him. To her, he was paradise. "We aren't going anywhere."

"I have to get you somewhere safe." The pain made it impossible to see. If she wasn't careful, then she would go cataleptic as well. There were so many monsters roaming the forest, she and Gar would be eaten within ten second. She slowly eased him back to the ground not covered by vegetation. The grass was so sharp that it could puncture holes through your body. Each blade of grass was a mini-sword with a handler ready to strike.

The only reason she had left the building was to tell Gar that she loved him. She still had a long list of things to be done, and Jade was aching for a good quality kick in the ass. She wasn't going to let Jade get away with all those murders. All the ghosts in this forest were suffering eternally because of her and her weapons of destruction. She was toying with things that were not meant be fooled around with, and she was going to stop it. "Rae, are you there?"

He was finally coming around. His long, muscular body stretched itself out. His awakening moans were almost like music to her ears. She thought that she might never hear his voice again. With a steadying hand, she slowly helped him sit up. "It's nice to see you awake."

"Rae," he yelped. He lunged himself at her, flinging his arms around her body. The hug he gave would challenge those of Kori, but she didn't mind. It was just nice to be in his arms again. Sometimes she wished that she could be in his arms forever, and that the rest the world would just disappear.

She knew that they couldn't stay like this for long. There was a boy in need of liberation, and the world needed saving. If she didn't save the world, then who would? It was up to her. "It's nice to see you again. Gar, I….. like you."

'_Shit_,' she thought. _'I work my ass off trying to tell him that I love him, then I chicken out.'_ He burst into painful gasps of laughter. Even if he did know what she was trying to say, she still felt obligated to tell him. She could feel the love burning within her heart, but she couldn't put it into words. This was so frustrating. "I'm glad you like me, Rae."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She didn't have time to argue with herself. Putting her feelings into words was going to take a lot more time then she realized. Time that she didn't have because she was going to die. She was going to have to focus on turning Jade into mince meat.

"I know." He smiled and pulled himself to his feet. Her own legs felt like a slip and slide. Her legs swayed beneath the weight of her massive wings, and her back let out little groans of protest. "You're hurt."

The blood had soaked through her clothing. If one didn't know better, you would think that her clothes had been red from the beginning. This was not the case, her blood had erupted in such enormous amounts that the entire outfit was soaked through with blood. Luckily, her people could lose more blood than a average human. "Don't worry about me. I'm going back into Jade's building, I want you to leave this place. It's to dangerous for you to be here."

"What," he cried. "It's not any safer for you, as it is for me. I'm not leaving with out you. I would follow you anywhere, even if it means death for me."

"You can be such a fool," she growled. Maybe if she insulted him enough, he would leave her here. She couldn't take it if he died because of her. The amount of danger he had put himself in at her fault had already given her enough guilt to last a lifetime. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"I know that you were raised to think that you have to do everything alone, but that's not true." He reached for her hand and squeezed it. Even after all they had been through, a simple squeeze of the hand could make her heart flutter like a heard of butterflies. "You have me now. When you love somebody like I love you, then it doesn't matter if I'm walking towards death."

She lunged towards him and kissed him passionately. Exploring his mouth with affectionate nudges of the tongue, she could swear that she was in paradise. The kiss didn't last long, but she knew that her knees would be weak for months. "You are so wonderful. What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"You gave me a chance." He took his hand and placed it on her deep wound. The muscles knitted together like a giant granny crocheting a sweater. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard that he was worried it might it might beat itself to death. "Come on, we have a world to save."

Hand in hand, they marched towards the building. It looked intimidating with its dreary windows and gray walls, but they remained brave. A fire breathing dragon would not have frightened them at that moment, because they had each other. "Are you sure?"

He took a look into the gloomy horizon and nodded. He knew that this could be the last time he looked at the sky, so he made sure to drink it all up with one last look. Even if the ghostly forest was covered by a display of dark, saddening clouds, he still loved looking into the sky. "Yes, I have never been more sure about anything in my life. I did promise you forever, didn't I?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Forever."

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Jade slammed her perfectly manicured fists against the control board. Never once in her entire career of dictatorship had one of her prisoners disappeared. This was all her partner Yuri's fault. It was his job to make sure that all the security was as tight as a leopard skin thong. "Damn it, Yuri. How could you let this happen."

His face flickered onto the screen. His eyes were two moonstones, refracting all light that came to them. That was another reason why she kept him around. His eyes reminded her of jewels and money. "That wasn't my fault. I used up the entire budget that you gave me. Blame yourself for that, Jade."

"Since when have you been calling the shots?" His eyes formed two terrified circles. She had been waiting for this day for a very long time. It was time for the bird to spread her beautiful wings and fly. "Of course, you could come down to discuss this with me. I'm sure I can spare you some more change."

He gave her a confused look and nodded. With a zap of white and black light, his face disappeared off the large command center. 'He doesn't suspect a thing,' she thought. Her fingers curved around the loudspeaker button. "Send me a team of guards, and make sure they're prepared to kill. I have a little friend who's ready to have his brain splattered on my wall."

She was feeling better already. This was almost going to be as fun as killing her deranged father. Nothing could beat a little homicide on the third degree when you were depressed. "Yes, Commander. Madame, what time will we need to send the officers?"

"Thirteen Hundred Hours. Be discreet, I don't want any little birdies spilling any secrets." There was uneasy breathing on the other side of the microphone. Killing Yuri would have been easy to do on her own, but she knew how much most of the guards hated murdering. That's why she called the guards in to do the dirty work. It always managed to scar at least one little soul for a lifetime, if not longer. "You do remember what happens to little birdie's who tell secrets, don't you?"

Yes, Madame." Of course he did. His own brother happened to be one of the little birdies who let a secret slip. The sight of the crows picking the eyeballs out his brothers sockets still haunted him. "I remember very well."

"Another thing," she smirked. "Prepare our armies. Our little demon friends are about to become trophies in my vast collection."

This was all her form of revenge. That Rachel girl was going to have to pay deeply for having refused her ruling. She was going to use the heads of those unthinking creatures to wipe her ass, and she was going to make Rachel watch. Then she would slowly torture the life out of the one creature that knew of her existence, and was not frightened. "Your grace, all our best weapons are still in storage."

"Then get them out of storage!" His type were all so amazingly stupid. How many had she warned not to ask questions? She even passed out rulebooks to every member of her squad monthly, but did they ever follow her rules? "You imbecile! I'm going to kick you so hard that my foot will come out your mouth."

"Sorry, master."

"About those weapons," she smirked. "Have them out of storage immediately."

She planned to rule the world with a iron fist. All the money and gold in the world would be hers. If things went the as planned, she was going to make a swimming pool out of solid rubies. Her palace would be a swarm of smiling gold and crystal wonderment. She would create a heaven for herself beyond anything a mortal mind could imagine. "Yes, immediately."

"Good, good."

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The howling wind in the Forest of the Dead would not allow Raven to sleep. Even the comfort of sleeping in Gar's arms could not chase away the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She had known for sometime now that she was going to die. "I'll be back."

She nuzzled his cheek as she climbed out of her sleeping bag. She was almost glad that she didn't tell him how much she cared about him. Perhaps if Gar still did not know how she felt, it would be easier for him to get over her death. "Rae," he mumbled. "Where are you going?"

"Just going for a little walk." He threw back his head and began to let out catastrophic snores. It was so hard to let go of the person you love, even if it was a accident. She wanted to be with him as long as she could before the day of her death came, but she didn't have much time left to spare. Death was coming on swift wings, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop it. "I'll be back in a bit."

It was not her powers that allowed her to sense death, but her normal human half. A few days before death a human got restless, and they began to understand. Most people did not bother to listen to the message that their body was giving them. If we saw our loved ones after death, Raven did not know. She just hoped with all her heart that passing away would not keep her and Gar at a distance permanently. She wanted so desperately to believe that death was not the end, only a whole new beginning. "I don't think, I've ever seen you this fidgety before."

She jumped like a scolded dog. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he pulled her as close to him as he could. His kissed up and down her neck were like a heard of fluttering butterflies, sweet and more soft than a baby lamb. She lied, "It's this place."

"I know," he murmured. "It leaves me a little on edge too."

"You were sleeping like a baby just a minute ago," she snapped. In her heart she felt more love for him than ever before. _'Why do I have to die right before I find happiness?'_ For the first time in a long time, she was afraid. She was afraid of never seeing Gar again, she was afraid of dissapearing, she was afraid of being spoken about in a past tense.

"I know, but that was because you were with me." Her heart could feel itself being torn into many pieces. She wanted so desperately to tell him that she loved him. Her heart told her to tell him, but her mind was saying the complete opposite. "If I was in a freezer, you would still make me warm."

The wind was carrying the remainder of shattered glass with its powerful claws. Tiny blades spun among the air current cutting her exposed arms and legs. A soft amount of blood trickled its way down her pale, gray legs, but her response was nothing more than silence. "Are you scared of death, Gar?"

"A little," he whispered. "But, I know that everything will be alright."

His hand were warm against her sides, and his face was buried in her hairline. The soft whispering of his breath against her neck gave her comfort. Being with him was her heaven. She couldn't imagine a place that was supposed to be happy without him in it. "How can you be so sure?"

"I just know." He slowly tickled her back. It was a playful motion that relieved her tension almost as much as making love. She leaned her head back against his shoulder blade and she let out a small smile. 'I might as well,' she thought. 'I want him to remember me happy, even if it goes against everything I have worked hard to achieve.' "You trust me don't you?"

"More than anyone," she smiled. "and Gar?"

"Yes." She could see her reflection in his green eyes. If she wasn't careful, she felt that she might fall into those eyes of his. Her stomach was a bundle of wet worms, slipping and sliding all over the place. Placing her hands on his shoulder blades, she leaned forwards and bit his bottom lip affectionately. "I love you."

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	8. Chapter 8: Into the Freezer

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please!**

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**Chapter 8: Into the Freezer**

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The hallway was made from marble colder than the Antarctica, and seemingly twice as large. The whole trip through Jade's building had been of the utmost silence, even the bugs seemed to steer clear of the building. He had so many emotions running inside of him, he felt as if he might combust. He desperately wanted to reach out to Raven, who was as quiet as a stone, but he couldn't find the words to say. "We're almost there."

She had finally spoken. Even the faintest noise among the hallowed pits was as beautiful as a two thousand choirs. He was still at a loss for words, which surprised him gravelly. Under normal conditions, he found it difficult to stop himself from vomiting stray ideas and thoughts. "That's good."

That was the only thing he could think of. If only he could tell her all the things that his heart was singing to him, if only he could make his mouth move again. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"Rae, I-"

The sound of running feet upon the marble was like a marching band. Every footstep could be heard along the hollow stone cell, and there were lots of footsteps to be heard. He felt a large tingle of fear. There were to many soldiers coming there, they would never be able to defeat them. "This way."

She was a dolphin pulling him to the safety. They currently waited in the corner of the deepest doorjamb. Both of them closed their soft eyes, and prayed with all their hearts that they would live to see the sun rise. Gar was so cared that his heart felt ready to burst from his chest and let out a hollow wail of agony. Raven, as always, remained subtly calm. "Are they coming this way?"

"Shush," she whispered. Beneath her hollow exterior he could feel the fear brimming from her soul. She was more frightened then he, but she never once exposed her feelings in any shape or form. With caressing hands, he held her so close that his body chased the air out of her lungs. They held each other breathing short heaves of desperation. She whispered, "I think the soldier are going out the other way."

"Thank Gods for that." Even though the soldiers were gone, he still clung to her for dear life. He had been so afraid of losing her that he couldn't pry himself away. The sweetness of life clung to her. She began to wiggle out of his grasp, but he hung firm. Just a few more seconds of holding on to her would make him the happiest man on earth. "Let's stay like this, just for a second longer."

"There is no time." It wasn't like Raven wanted him to let go, but she understood that this mission was on a stopwatch. Even a few seconds outside of the deadline, and the world would be doomed to a eternity of servitude. She felt relief and sadness as he finally released her.

"After we get out of here, I'm never going to let you go." She couldn't bring herself to say that she would never be coming out of Jade's castle. This was the way she was meant to die. She knew that Gar would never accept it, so she kept her little secret to herself. The way he talked about the future made her so happy. His little hopes for years to come gave her the courage to keep fighting, despite everything that she knew was going to happen.

"Until then, we need to keep going." She grabbed his hand and gave it a tight squeeze. The marble seemed less cold with Raven's hand in his; it was almost like a large heater had been magically transplanted into the building. There was a strange restlessness that filled his stomach, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't a good feeling, and it made him want to cling onto her like never before.

"Hey," he whispered. He pushed the odd feeling into the back of his overloaded mind. It was a button, easy to push and gave no resistance to his cause. This was the first time his mind had ever had so much to think about, usually he emptied his mind in front of electronically objects. "Everything will be okay, won't it?"

She gave his hand a squeeze, but remained completely silent. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, and that made him agitated. Right now, all he wanted was to be back home with Raven and his friends. If only she had never been kidnapped, then things would be a lot simpler. "Do you want the truth, or something that will make you feel better."

His whole body tightened like a noose. There couldn't be a worse thing that she could have said. His friends were glass statue, they were trapped in the very core of a living hell, and he was beginning to lose hope in all the things that he once held dear. What was he supposed to do now? "Both."

"Truth first." There was a draft in the building. The air blew his hair in front of his eyes, making him seem wild and monkey-like. He wanted to be free of the castle that seemed to be pulling all the energy from his body. Was this what Richard, Victor and Kori felt like as their bodies slowly morphed into glass. The restlessness he had been feeling had returned. "I have my doubts about the future."

"I have doubts to," he whimpered. Raven had also given up hope, so he just had to be strong for the both of them. He would be her pillar of strength, just like he had always dreamed he would be. The restless feeling was gone again. It was the ocean with its tides moving in and out. "But, that doesn't mean that we should give up."

"I said nothing about giving up." Everything was good again. Even though his friends weren't back with him, at least he had the entertainment of her temper. It was odd that he enjoyed making someone aggravated, but he found her excruciatingly attractive when her eyes were full of fire. Although, making her angry wasn't the best way to score.

He had never seen a more beautiful creature in his entire life, and he knew that he never would. A siren could lay singing directly in front of him, but he wouldn't have even bothered with looking. She was the only thing that mattered. "I'm glad."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Her purple pools looked at him with more intensity than his pore heart could bear. He swore that he would pass out and die at the sheer beauty of her stare.

"Why," he asked. "Don't you like it?"

"No," she frowned. Another gust of wind blew her tendrils of purple hair around her pale face. He knew that she wouldn't welcome a passionate kiss, though he longed for it. "I like it. I've just never seem you look at me quite like that before."

"It's the look of a man who loves you." Her eyes were bright were bright with the deepest kind of happiness. The look of happiness was replaced by a gasp of extreme pain as a assassins sword buried itself into her slender stomach. Before she fell to the ground, he reached out to use his healing powers. "Raven!"

"I love you," she whimpered. A river of blood poured from her gaping mouth. The wound was deep beyond belief, he knew that he couldn't heal her. With every fiber of strength that he had, he tried to seal the vessels that pumped blood out of her body. The murderer stood above her with a triumphant grin, holding his red sword as if it were a trophy. "Don't ever forget that,"

"Stand down," the soldier roared. Her eyes glazed over as her soul left her body. Standing up with more strength than he knew that he had, he raised his gaze to the lone-soldier. There was no anger more pure than this. The person he loved more than life itself had been slaughtered before his very eyes, he was ready to strike down anything in his path. With a flick of the wrist, his elbow plummeted into the guard's eye socket.

A river of blood beyond what he had ever seen before poured from that man's eye. The satisfaction of knowing that his elbow had just smashed in someone's skull did not make the pain any less real. He felt as if he were the one dieing. Having a sword being swung into his heart wouldn't have been more painful then the awful heartbreak, the pure untainted agony that he felt at this moment. "You can rot in hell."

Running to her side, he slowly picked her body off the floor. Her eyes that had once sparkled with life were now duller than a butter knife. He held her close, breathing in her sweet, floral scent. His arms tightened around her dead body as he sobbed into her chest. He longed to feel her ribcage lower and fall with energy and life." Why did you have to leave me? I was finally happy, and something like this happens."

The herds of running for footsteps echoed across the marble tomb. This time he didn't care if he was outnumber one thousand to one, he wanted to make somebody pay for her death. If he couldn't defeat them, then at least he would die. He rasped, "Time to die, you bastards."

There was a knew found evil in his green eyes. The anger he felt right now could not be out powered by a million shot guns, or a million men. This anger was so pure that even the men that outnumbered him clearly were shaking in their metal boots. The leader stuttered, "Halt. Don't move another step."

His first target did not even see him coming. He was as quick as a bobcat, and as silent as the whisper of a girl's cotton dress. Halfway through his killing stroke, he stopped and turned. 'What am I doing,' he wondered. 'These people aren't responsible for her death. She wouldn't want me to kill innocent out of rage.' He lowered his hand and stared at her bloodied corpse. "I'll finish your mission and I'll save my friends, but after that I will go to you. A lifetime without you is to painful for me to even consider."

"On behalf of Jade's imperial, I must arrest you." The leader couldn't be a boy above fourteen. He was shaking like a piece of paper in the ocean breeze, and his face was paler than a baby sea horse. The boy looked a lot like him at his age, small and scrawny.

He didn't want to hurt the poor kid. It was obvious that he was suffering troubles just like him. Insecurity showed on his face like a single spring flower in the middle of the desert, maybe he could use that to his advantage. It was a little cruel to use this kind of tactic on a teenager, but it had to be done. "You know, I could take you and your army out with a single blow. Why don't you let me go, and we won't hear another word about it."

"I can't do that." The boy was more stubborn than he seemed. Behind the boy the army began to mumble with impatience and nervousness, most of them were as young as their leader. Few, he guessed, were over the age of 18. "It is against protocol."

He gave his knuckled a crack of warning. Even if he did have a certain liking for this boy, he had wasted enough time conversing. It was time to get down to business. With a flick of the wrist, his white powers burned with light. "I need to get through!"

"Wait," the boy cried. A look of pain suddenly appeared across the leader's face like lightening across the sky. His feet carried him quickly to Raven's body. The boy's face fell so far that his jaw almost touched the ground. Her lifeless eyes looked as though they belonged to a china doll, wherever you moved they seemed to follow. "How did this happen?"

'How could she have known this boy,' he wondered. 'She hadn't been in this place for that long.' He tore his eyes away from her body, and tried to ignore the knife that was cutting deeper and deeper into his poor heart. Even though there was no wind, he felt himself give a shiver. It was almost like somebody had touched him, although no one had. "She was stabbed through the heart by one of your soldiers."

The boy looked closed to tears. The proud look of a leader and warrior was gone, and was replaced by the look of a child that dropped his ice cream. They both stared at Raven again in silence, before the young soldier gave a shaky sob. "This is all my fault," he whimpered. "I made her promise that she would come back to save me. What have I done?"

After what Gar had just heard, he still didn't place any blame on the boy. She would have gone into the building anyway, because she was born a hero. Some people just had that little spark that made them willing to jump into a fire to save someone's life. That little spark was know as bravery, and it was within almost everyone. Most people were brave and didn't realize it, all they had to do was dig a little deeper beneath their skin. "It wasn't your fault. She would have gone in one way or another, it was in her personality."

"I'll help you get out of here." He slowly leaned down and picked up her corpse. A soft stream of red softly fell off of her body in dewdrops. A fly had settled down on her lifeless cheek, but he did nothing to sweep it away. Momentarily, he stood in silence. The information of Raven's death had begun to settle in, and it hurt more than one thousand bullets in his body.

The boy made a sudden move to brush away the fly with his hand. "Don't touch her," he yelled.

The army of men turned their emotionless faces toward them, as the boy finally allowed them to pass. The herd followed Gar like a lion would stalk its pray. He hadn't meant to be angry at the boy for wiping away the fly, but he wanted to preserve that moment. "Where now?"

"To kill Jade." Her body was as cold as a popsicle, but he could still smell her. She smelled of sweet fragrant flowers, as if she had been born among with the blooms. Even after death, nothing could take away that smell that had always made him calm.

"You want to kill Jade," the boy asked. "That's impossible."

"She ordered the women I love to be killed," he growled. His face was now stuck in a permanent frown. He knew that until he could hear her voice, he would never smile. The positive energy he had felt earlier was replaced by a new type of energy. "I will not let her live. I will hunt her down and rip her out."

"You really did love her, didn't you?" There was a bloody trail following where he had walked, but he didn't care. They weren't discreet anymore, since the boy's team had decided to follow them into their campaign. It would be easier to hide a pack of elephants behind a bamboo tree, then to not get caught with this heard chasing after them.

"More than anything." He was becoming confused. This place was like a gigantic maze, and he was having a hard enough time walking and trying not to cry. Those raindrops of his were hidden just barely beneath his eyelids, but they had been wanting to escape for awhile. He could cry when he and Raven's body were alone; however, there would be to much of a audience here. "I can't live without her."

"You do realize that you're probably won't survive fighting Jade," the boy questioned. The boy seemed really down on living. He definitely agreed with him at the moment, but he wanted to do this for Raven and his friends. After that, he knew that he wouldn't survive for very long. Apart of him wanted Jade to kill him more than anything in the world, and that scared him.

"It doesn't matter," he sighed. Seeing her was all that really was important to him, and he could no longer do that alive. It was once said that if you changed one thing in any way, then you would be remembered forever. Raven had left her imprint on this boy, but who would remember him? "It will only bring me closer to seeing her. After I die, I will be back in her arms."

"How can you sure?" The boy's eyes were narrow. He was obviously a tough skepticism on all things that were positive, he wondered how Raven had managed to give him hope. "Nobody knows what happens after death, maybe we all just disappear."

He didn't know why he was so sure. All of his life he had known that death was not the end, but the beginning. His dead parents had been helping him for many years and although he could not see them, he was certain that they were watching over him. "I just know that won't happen."

"I guess," the leader muttered. Even though the teenager's tone was off, Gar knew that he had a change of heart. A swear serpent climbed its way down the back of his neck as he walked, making want to scratch the back of his neck badly. It was taking far to long to get to Jade. All he wanted to do was see Raven, talk to her, kiss her, and never let her go. "It's this way."

The room was aligned with rubies and other extravagant stones. The door was so excessive that the money cost to purchase it would be enough to feed the entire planted for a year. This made him extremely enraged. She was probably stuffing her flopping cheeks with food, while his lover lay dead. He asked, "What's with the door?"

As a child, he was told of a princess that lived in a castle made of gold. The princess was rich and greedy, she lived her life as though she were the sun and the moon. At the end of the story, a prince came and beheaded the evil princess. The boy whispered, "she likes rubies. If we keep her surrounded by things that please her, then less of us are to be killed."

"After I'm done with her, you won't have to worry about that anymore." The teenager didn't look like he believe him. It didn't offend Gar though, he hardly believe it himself. Raven's body was going to have to be placed somewhere for safe keeping, it would hold him down in his conquest to kill Jade.

"What's that plan, sir?"

"I go in, I kill, then I save my friends." It wasn't the brightest battletested in the world, but it made sense to him. He liked the idea of coming in a underdog, and winning the battle anyway. That was how he won the heart of his true love, why wouldn't it work now?

"That's practical." The boy looked really hopeful now.

"Yup."

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	9. Chapter 9: Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.**

**No Flaming Please!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Epilogue**

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He touched Raven's cold cheek for the last time. Garfield's hand lovingly pushed back a lock of her purple hair, and he gave a sob of depression. A wave of vomit overcame him, he slowly turned his face away from her and released a river of clear stomach acid onto the floor. He hadn't eaten in days, so there was no food left to throw up. The leader stared at him with sad eyes. "Are you okay?" 

"No," he growled. Garfield wasn't sure whether he would ever be okay again. It made him sick even thinking about a life without her. He realized now that the pain he had been feeling right after her death was unregistered shock, now his mind truly realized that Raven was never coming back. His tears that had been contained by the dam of his own stubbornness was broken, and now he wept freely. "How could I be okay?"

The boy left him to his silent tears. Holding onto her body reminded him of her death, so it only brought him more pain. Her face was so cold. With her body laying there in that way, he felt like she was still alive. More than anything, he wanted to shake her until her mouth gasped air. The boy was back again, whispering, "I'm deeply sorry."

"Leave me alone for a moment," he cried. He found it hard to leave the body, even if he knew that he would be back to reclaim it. Death was a terrible thing, and all beliefs he once had were gone. 'What if death really is terrible,' he wondered. 'What if I never see her again, even after death?' With another large sob, he cuddled the corpse in his arms.

With a final sob, he removed his jacket and wrapped it around her. It would not make her warm, he knew that. He could picture her awakening from her slumber, wrapped in the warmth of hid jacket. It was a dream he had envisioned over and over again in the past hour. He leaned for and brushed his warms lips against her cold, bloody ones. "I'll be back."

The boy and his men were aligned against the wall, all in a deep mourning silence. He knew that this was the work of the boy, out of respect for her. This was a gesture that he appreciated, even if he couldn't fine the words to say it to him. '_The wind is so much colder without her here,' _he thought. The boy asked, "Are you ready?"

His throat was caught in a mass of emotions, but he did find enough strength to nod. The boy and his men would not fight Jade with him, he wanted to kill her on his own. The boy handed him a small revolver that felt as light as a single hair. It was almost like it didn't exist. "Thank you."

Gar could swear that he saw a single tear fall down the boys face. A invisible force suddenly made him feel stronger, and he knew what it was. Raven was still with him in soul, even if he could not see her. More tears began to fall down his face. The leader regained composure, saying, "I'll have my group warn the other soldier's. We have been forced into this fight; if Jade is gone, then there will be no war. Perhaps even if you fail, we will find the strength to revolt."

"Okay," he whispered. That was all that he could manage to say. His throat was dry from all the crying, and his saddening emotions would not allow him to say anything more. In his mind, his words were overflowing, but his lips were still sealed in sorrow.

"Good luck," the boy murmured. He slowly turned to look at Raven's body once more. Her face was as white as the winter's first snow storm, and her eyes were as empty as a homeless man's plate. Seeing her dead was making him ill once again, so he slowly tried to put his focus on his final battle. With more courage then he knew that he had, he slowly pulled open expensive door to Jade's layer.

Compared to how many jewels decorated this room, it made the golden door look as if it were made from plastic. The state of this room made him unconditionally angry. This horrible excuse for a human spent her days in crystal covered rooms while Raven lay dead. A shuffling of feet behind him drew his attention. "I've been expecting you."

Jade's hair flowed down her back in a river of golden sunlight, and the dress she wore revealed all of her secrets. If she had a gun, it definitely wasn't hidden in her flimsy outfit. He stared down her ice cold eyes haughtily. "You killed Raven, I'm going to make you pay."

"Oh, really." She merely smiled and took several more steps toward him. The extremely strong perfume she wore drifted over to him, instantly making him feel nauseous. His fingers tightened around the small gun tucked neatly into his pants. "I sense no threat from you, boy. You're not man enough to shoot a pigeon! You'll never pull the trigger on that silly little excuse for a gun."

His hand was shaking worse than a bucketful of cherry Jell-O. She had just reinforced the doubts that were already running through his mind. Garfield Logan was not and never would be a killer. Ever since he was a child, he had been gentle by nature. Every time he blinked he saw Raven's face, but he still couldn't bring himself to squeeze the trigger. "No, I'm a man because I choose not to kill."

"Who filled your quaint little head with those ideals?" Her laugh was a million fingers running continuously on a backboard. It was his dead parents that had taught him wrong from right, and she was insulting them. If she kept prying at his head, then maybe firing the gun wouldn't be so hard. "They are fools, imbeciles and liars, just like you're little girlfriend."

This was to much for him to take. He could already feel tears begin to make their descent down his face and travel to the floor. In a blink of a eyes, Jade had magically summoned a gun from a large potted vase on the countertop. This gun was big, very big. His gun look like a penny, while her gun was Bill Gate's bank account. "Don't you dare call them that."

"What? You don't like it? You are such a coward, young fool." she laughed. Her perfectly manicured, pink fingernails curved elegantly around her weapon. This was what he had suspected from the beginning, so whatever fear he felt was only slight. "It's true, so you better get used to the idea!"

"Shut up," he yelled. This was the first time that he had ever felt anger this deep. The current of his malice was so strong that he couldn't breath. Everything he cared about was dead or turned to glass, and the fault belonged to her. The size of her gun no longer scared him, he was ready to face a entire army. She must have sensed his objective because she suddenly fired her gun.

A bullet pierced his already broken heart, but he did not fall. If he was going to die, then he was going to take her down with him. He fired the gun and the bullet spiraled into her forehead, instantly plummeting into her brain. Red splatters oozed down her face and she let out a squeak before falling to the ground.

"That was for you, Raven." That was all he had time to say. Everything lost focus for a second as he was overcome with pain. With every breath his world got darker, until he could see only blackness. It was almost like he was drifting a pool of warm water. Strangely, his world began to regain focus once again. His soul was sucked down a darkened tunnel with no light or sound.

The blackness was not frightening like he would of thought, but it was warm and comferting like a big blanket. There was still some pain in his heart; however, with every breath it faded. He began to pray that the black tunnel would release him because he was now afraid. This was not where he wanted to spend eternity. If he wanted to spend a eternity anywhere, it would be with Raven.

There was a distinctive smell in the air. It was the scent of lilies and roses in a moonlight garden, and it was the smell of Raven. He found that he had the energy to stand. His body no longer held any bullet holes or scars, his skin was flawless. There were no longer any wings to hold him into flight, but his body seemed to float on his own.

The tunnel no longer pulled at his body, but it left him suspended in the pool of ebony. The soundlessness climbed up his spine like a barrel of small insects. If he had to deal with the soundlessness any longer, he knew that he would go mad. _'This must be what hell feels like,' _he thought.

"Raven," he called. He could smell her, she was so close. The darkness began to separate and he found himself standing in a meadow with lavender flowers, and in the meadow stood Raven. When she turned to look at him, he was surprised to find her smiling. "Is that really you?"

"Yes," she nodded. His feet stopped levitating the moment he had set foot in her meadow, so he took off running. A jaguar could not have gone any faster then he did at that moment. Their bodies collided and he quickly eased his finger around her slender waste. Her wings no longer prevented him from hugging her as tightly as he possibly could. "We've all been waiting for you."

* * *

This was the day that would change all mankind. The adolescent leader smiled as the world was filled with life. The blanket of rainy clouds had disappeared in the blink of the eyes, and was replaced by a sea of warmth of sunlight. This was the first time he had ever seen the sun, it was something that he would never take for granted. 

"Sir, what do we do now?" The man had to be at least forty years old. It was an odd sight to see, for teenagers were not usually seen ordering older men around. He turned to smile at his senior soldier, the happiness brimming on his face was worth more than one thousand golden rings.

"Why are you asking me?" This was what freedom truly felt like. He could run where he liked, talk the way he liked, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Things weren't going to be easy, he knew; however, he could do things his way. "We're free! You don't have to listen to me anymore!"

A heard of approaching footsteps caught his attention, and he turned around quickly. '_What if the messenger that told us of Jade's death was mistaken,'_ he wondered. _'Jade could send men to kill us._' That would be a very depressing day indeed. Garfield's death would be for nothing, if she still wandered the earth. The man whimpered, "Sir."

"Calm yourself," he growled. The three that popped out of the forest were not soldiers, they were merely human prototypes. All three of them were angels, their wings groping the air with mighty claws. They certainly were different from them, but they weren't entirely different either.

"What happened?" The black haired angel's face was clouded over with confusion. He had to admit that he had been confused at first too; the Forest of the Dead held no similarities to the world it was before. Their was no glass or monsters in sight, and the trees stretched out their mighty arms in welcome. It was almost like a whole different world.

"What happened?" The boy smiled and tossed his cocked gun to the floor. He never wanted to carry a gun ever again. All that they were meant to do was kill people, he had never liked the bloodshed caused by them. This could have been the best day of his life. "We are all free! Jade is gone and the world is free of her will!"

"Jade," the tallest man asked, scratching the back of his bald head. Obviously they didn't know who Jade was, although that didn't spoil his mood. Things would become a lot clearer after the storms of time passed them by.

"We will tell you in good time," he smiled. "Rejoice, my friends; a new beginning is here!"

* * *

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